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
Matthew McConaughey stars as Kevin McKay, a down-on-his-luck school bus driver who rises to the occasion as fire bears down on the community.
—
Clayton Davis, Variety, 6 Sep. 2025
For now, however, Chris seems content to bask in the glow of this alternate universe, unaware of the enemies bearing down on him.
—Scott Meslow, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2025
Everything is standing still, bearing down.
—Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2025
Interstate 10 hummed with cars rushing north toward Phoenix, drivers pushing to get ahead of what was bearing down on them.
—Hayleigh Evans, AZCentral.com, 28 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bear down
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Clayton Davis, Variety, 6 Sep. 2025
For now, however, Chris seems content to bask in the glow of this alternate universe, unaware of the enemies bearing down on him.
—Scott Meslow, Vulture, 5 Sep. 2025
Everything is standing still, bearing down.
—Literary Hub, 4 Sep. 2025
Interstate 10 hummed with cars rushing north toward Phoenix, drivers pushing to get ahead of what was bearing down on them.
—Hayleigh Evans, AZCentral.com, 28 Aug. 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 9 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
bear down
intransitive verb
: to contract the abdominal muscles and the diaphragm during childbirth
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share