bear (down)

verb

Definition of bear (down)next
as in to weigh (upon)

Related Words

Relevance

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for bear (down)
  1. pressure
  2. compress
Verb
  • And while the Heat has the authority to discipline Adebayo, such discipline (at least in the form of a suspension) would be surprising unless the NBA were to pressure the team to do so.
    — Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 13 July 2026
  • In an environment where interest rates are steady or rising, that could pressure lender margins.
    — Hugh Son, CNBC, 13 July 2026
Definition of pressure
Verb
  • This swimsuit has built-in shapewear, designed to shape and compress everywhere, with subtle draping at the tummy.
    — Alexandra Malmed, InStyle, 16 July 2026
  • Those pulses create the extreme conditions needed to compress fusion fuel, while also supporting high-energy-density physics experiments used in materials research, radioisotope production and national security.
    — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 16 July 2026
Definition of compress
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.

Browse Nearby Words

beardless
bear (down)
bear (down on)
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Bear (down).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bear%20%28down%29. Accessed 20 Jul. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of raffish

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Do you 'say your piece' or 'say your peace'?

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?

Commonly Misspelled Words
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Longest Long Words List

Ten Words Ending with a Silent ‘T’

Why do we say 'fly off the handle'?
See More

Popular

See More

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

14 Phobias You Probably Haven't Heard Of

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
child-detective
Spot the Misspelled Word July 2026 Those little red underlines can't help you now...
See All