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bear (down on) 1 of 2

verb

Definition of bear (down on)next
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

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bear down on

2 of 2

phrase

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)
  1. press
  2. shove
  3. compress
Verb
  • Place the rolls spiral-side up in the greased baking dish, pressing down gently on top of each one.
    — Candy Hom, AJC.com, 27 Sep. 2026
  • French bishops have since introduced compensation and safeguarding measures, but survivors have continued to press Church leaders to demonstrate accountability.
    — Joshua McElwee, Arkansas Online, 26 Sep. 2026
Definition of press
Verb
  • According to the suit, the video depicts the staff member grabbing a Black student from behind, spinning him around, grabbing him by the shirt and shoving him repeatedly into the metal roll-down door of a concession stand.
    — Eric Peterson, Chicago Tribune, 23 Sep. 2026
  • Oakley and Reid lean so heavily into Elinor and Marianne’s crushing disappointments and the forces holding them back in a period of vast gender inequity, that their sorrows shove the characters’ more captivating qualities to the side.
    — David Rooney, HollywoodReporter, 21 Sep. 2026
Definition of shove
Verb
  • Much like an engine compresses fuel before ignition, FLARE first assembles the fuel to high density before delivering a separate, rapid burst of energy to trigger fusion.
    — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 26 Sep. 2026
  • Weak investor sentiment around the companies, which were also starting to show returns on AI investment, compressed their stock multiples.
    — Sarah Min, CNBC, 24 Sep. 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

bear (down)
bear (down on)
bear down on
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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 29 Sep. 2026.

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