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

On the morning of Russia’s invasion, as armored columns bore down on Kyiv, Chervinsky’s wife, Olha, and their three children fled to Kamyanets-Podilskyi, where Chervinsky’s mother lived. —Joshua Yaffa, The New Yorker, 24 Feb. 2025

The confrontation hits like a tidal wave, leaving Mia in its wake, spiraling as the weight of the reunion’s revelations bears down on her. —Shelby Stewart, Essence, 21 Feb. 2025

That helped Ukraine’s early, stunning pushback of Russian forces bearing down on Kyiv. —Daryna Mayer, NBC News, 13 Feb. 2025

The hum is punctuated with the crackle of flames and the buckling of timber and the periodic pop of exploding gas lines somewhere in the distance, all of which gets louder as the fire bears down on you. —Peter Kiefer, The Hollywood Reporter, 31 Jan. 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