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

see also:

bear down on

Synonyms of bear down

• 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

Medina allowed four runs to score, three of those credited to Barlow, but was able to bear down to finish the rest of the game — striking out four Pirates in the last two frames while hitting 100 mph on a fastball in the ninth. —Sean Campbell, Sacbee.com, 18 June 2026

The Jordanian fans in their white shirts stood proud, celebrating their country’s first World Cup appearance at one end, while the red wall of the Austrians bore down on them from the other. —Charlotte Harpur, New York Times, 17 June 2026

And now, as the anniversary of the flood bears down upon us, here comes the reckoning. —Karen Valby, Vanity Fair, 16 June 2026

Dangerous heat and humidity were bearing down on the Northeast on Thursday, following a surge of more than 350 storms Wednesday — one of the stormiest days of 2026 so far. —Francie Ebert, NBC news, 11 June 2026

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