papa bear noun 3papa-bear adjective 1forms 1 noun3 •(informal) A male bear who has sired cubs. •(slang) A man, especially a father, who is extremely protective of a child or children.Her heart bled for this man who'd had to raise his baby daughter alone. Of course, he'd built a wall around himself and his daughter. He was a papa bear protecting his cub and his heart. — 2022 •(informal) One's father.“And you thought I brought home nothing for my papa bear.” — 2015 papa-bear adjective1 •Characteristic of protective paternal behavior.He kept inflicting his papa-bear tone on her. “Or don’t you remember that, last night, when we snuck on campus for some reconnaissance, we found out these girls had the scenting power of wolves?” — 2009 formspapa bears
