as in to weigh (on or upon)
to push steadily against with some force
you need to bear down on that cap a bit to get it to latch tightly
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
bear down on
2 of 2phrase
as in highlight
to indicate the importance of by centering attention on
Our manager bore down on the need to meet upcoming deadlines.
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bear (down on)
Verb
-
Mexico continued to press with numerous chances in the first half, including another shot by Quiñones that hit the post and another great save by Williams, who was South Africa’s best player.—
Eduard Cauich,
Los Angeles Times,
12 June 2026 -
Congressional lawmakers grilled Chicago Public Schools CEO Macquline King in an hourslong hearing yesterday, pressing her and two other superintendents on policies supporting transgender students and other diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.—
Chicago Tribune,
Chicago Tribune,
11 June 2026
Verb
-
Just like the band’s original recipe of shoving punk, dub reggae, hip-hop and ska into a blender, the new songs dutifully stick to the formula along with Jakob’s soulful caterwauls that sound scarily similar to his dad.—
Deputy Entertainment,
Los Angeles Times,
11 June 2026
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His security guard told me to back off – and then shoved a striking worker off her own picket line.—
Heather Merrick,
Hartford Courant,
11 June 2026
Verb
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These new findings come just a year after another team looked at the old data to conclude that the solar wind had indeed compressed Uranus' magnetosphere, squeezing out the plasma normally present.—
Keith Cooper,
Space.com,
10 Dec. 2025
-
Aside from the delivery process, the mattress was compressed, which made moving it up to my apartment easier.—
Kristi Kellogg,
Architectural Digest,
10 Dec. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Bear (down on).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bear%20%28down%20on%29. Accessed 17 Jun. 2026.
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