bear down
verb
bore down; borne down also born down; bearing down; bears down
: to exert full strength and concentrated attention
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
The Giants’ first-round pick directed a 7-play, 80-yard scoring drive on Saturday in Orchard Park, N.Y., launching a 28-yard touchdown strike to wide receiver Lil’ Jordan Humphrey as a Bills defender was bearing down.
—
Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 9 Aug. 2025
From spring to fall, one of the best times to take them is just before a storm, when wind and lightning are bearing down.
—Anthony A. Ciuffa, Outdoor Life, 7 Aug. 2025
July ended slightly above average, but nowhere nearly as hot as last year, the second-warmest July on record.
Record-breaking heat is bearing down on Phoenix again, with dangerously high temperatures climbing past 110 degrees and little chance of relief from the monsoon in sight.
—Hayleigh Evans, AZCentral.com, 5 Aug. 2025
That included Jill Roord and the Netherlands’ record goalscorer Vivianne Miedema directly bearing down on her.
—Cerys Jones, New York Times, 10 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for bear down
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Pat Leonard, New York Daily News, 9 Aug. 2025
From spring to fall, one of the best times to take them is just before a storm, when wind and lightning are bearing down.
—Anthony A. Ciuffa, Outdoor Life, 7 Aug. 2025
July ended slightly above average, but nowhere nearly as hot as last year, the second-warmest July on record.
Record-breaking heat is bearing down on Phoenix again, with dangerously high temperatures climbing past 110 degrees and little chance of relief from the monsoon in sight.
—Hayleigh Evans, AZCentral.com, 5 Aug. 2025
That included Jill Roord and the Netherlands’ record goalscorer Vivianne Miedema directly bearing down on her.
—Cerys Jones, New York Times, 10 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for bear down
Cite this Entry
“Bear down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bear%20down. Accessed 1 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
bear down
intransitive verb
: to contract the abdominal muscles and the diaphragm during childbirth
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