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

The next day the locals put together a big search party—and made a lot of attempts to shoot this bear down. —Popular Science Team, Popular Science, 18 Dec. 2024

The road to Damascus from the Lebanese border is lined with army bases and checkpoints, and a trip on Monday morning hinted at what appeared to be a total collapse in the army’s ranks as opposition fighters with the rebel coalition bore down on the capital. —Nabih Bulos, Los Angeles Times, 9 Dec. 2024

About half of those companies are one-person operations, like maids and landscapers, who had no idea the federal law was bearing down on them. —Zach Tuggle, USA TODAY, 5 Dec. 2024

Here are some must-haves for the savvy road traveler as old man winter bears down on us. —Josh Max, Forbes, 29 Nov. 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