bear down

verb

bore down; borne down also born down; bearing down; bears down

transitive verb

: overcome, overwhelm

intransitive verb

: to exert full strength and concentrated attention

Phrases

bear down on

1

: emphasize

2

: to weigh heavily on : burden

Synonyms

• depress
• press
• shove
• weigh (on or upon)

Examples of bear down in a Sentence

you need to bear down on that cap a bit to get it to latch tightly

Recent Examples on the Web

As Hurricane Milton was bearing down on Tampa, Malinowski posted to his social media account to soothe his newfound audience’s worries, even as his boat rocked and shaked against increasing wind and rain. —Sophia Pargas, NBC News, 10 Oct. 2024

President Biden: Milton looks like 'storm of the century' President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris were among the administration officials urging Florida residents Wednesday to follow safety instructions as Milton bears down on the state. —John Bacon, USA TODAY, 10 Oct. 2024

More help is now needed in the wake of Hurricane Helene, and more still will be needed after Hurricane Milton, now bearing down on Florida's western coast. —Shafaq Patel, Axios, 9 Oct. 2024

About 7 million people were urged to evacuate Florida in 2017 as Hurricane Irma bore down on the state. —Jason Ma, Fortune, 7 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Kids Definition

bear down

verb

1

: overwhelm, overcome

2

: to press or weigh down

3

: to make an all-out effort

4

: to weigh heavily on : burden

Medical Definition

bear down

intransitive verb

(ˈ)ba(ə)r-ˈdau̇n, (ˈ)be(ə)r- 

: to contract the abdominal muscles and the diaphragm during childbirth