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

What’s the likely budget for the summer and will challenges with PSR (profit and sustainability rules) bear down on the club? —Patrick Boyland, New York Times, 26 Mar. 2025

In addition to the times he was actually taken to the ground, twice while the rush was bearing down on him he was intercepted. —Rohan Nadkarni, NBC News, 10 Feb. 2025

Drought had begun to bear down by the time the fires started. —Zoë Schlanger, The Atlantic, 8 Jan. 2025

At dusk, fireworks burst overhead—followed by streaks of lightning, sphincter-clenching cracks of thunder and a swirling wind, a sudden thunderstorm bearing down from the north. —Dan Rubinstein, Outside Online, 13 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Rhymes for bear down

• adown
• blowdown
• breakdown
• countdown
• crackdown
• crosstown
• downtown
• drawdown
• dropdown
• facedown
• godown
• hometown

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