as in weighing (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
bearing down on
2 of 2phrase
as in highlighting
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 bearing (down on)
Verb
-
Haley is part of a group called Safe and Sound which documents the decibel levels, and is pressing local officials to stop xAI from making so much noise, especially overnight, with its turbines.—
Lora Kolodny,
CNBC,
13 Feb. 2026 -
Ghislaine Maxwell’s lawyer, David Oscar Markus, says mounting media campaigns from federal prisons is hardly as simple as buying a ring light and pressing record.—
Andrew Zucker,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Most of the time, a child who is shoving at the playground or refusing to take turns with the blocks at daycare is just testing the boundaries of acceptable behavior.—
Melissa Willets,
Parents,
5 Feb. 2026
-
Los Angeles Lakers center Jaxson Hayes has been suspended one game for shoving the Washington Wizards mascot during pregame introductions, the NBA announced Wednesday.—
The Athletic Staff,
New York Times,
4 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Instead of compressing observations into still images, RIMS preserves time-dependent information and separates radio signals by direction.—
Rupendra Brahambhatt,
Interesting Engineering,
1 Feb. 2026
-
Such tests could be used in research toward compressing a core of uranium with explosives — something that is needed for an implosion-style nuclear weapon.—
Jon Gambrell,
Los Angeles Times,
31 Jan. 2026
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.
Cite this Entry
“Bearing (down on).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bearing%20%28down%20on%29. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
