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

• weigh (on or upon)
• press
• shove
• compress

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

Not only will the giant sun be bearing down on it, but Jupiter itself will become hotter and reflect more sunlight, which will provide its own source of heat to the little moon. —Paul Sutter, Space.com, 3 June 2025

Wirtz immediately bears down on goal, and nutmegs a defender for good measure before scoring. —Mark Carey, New York Times, 16 May 2025

If the weight of the past bears down on Việt and Nam, so does the grim uncertainty of the future. —Justin Chang, New Yorker, 3 Apr. 2025

The final nurse, plain face and plain name, studies a tracing of my contractions and tells me when to bear down, when to ease up. —Erica Stern june 9, Literary Hub, 9 June 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