bears (down on) 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of bear (down on)
as in shoves
to push steadily against with some force you need to bear down on that cap a bit to get it to latch tightly

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bears down on

2 of 2

phrase

present tense third-person singular of bear down on
as in highlights
to indicate the importance of by centering attention on Our manager bore down on the need to meet upcoming deadlines.

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Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for bears (down on)
  1. shoves
  2. presses
  3. compresses
Verb
  • The Verge The tablet shoves Alexa down your throat at every turn.
    — Terrence O'Brien, The Verge, 8 Oct. 2026
  • Instead, Iñárritu shoves in a limp subplot about a missing daughter to humanize him.
    — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 29 Sep. 2026
Definition of shoves
Verb
  • When the user presses their finger on the part of the patch that contains the wet fabric, the pressure squeezes the water out of the material, down one of the microfluidic channels, and into the foaming agent chamber.
    — Ben Coxworth October 23, New Atlas, 23 Oct. 2026
  • These event listeners enhance accessibility by enabling form submission or closure // when the user presses either the 'Enter' or 'Space' key.
    — Emily Zemler, Rolling Stone, 6 Oct. 2026
Definition of presses
Verb
  • High-rises are expected to settle as their enormous weight compresses the ground beneath them, but that settlement is expected to stop soon after construction.
    — Denise Hruby, Miami Herald, 19 Oct. 2026
  • Deal teams that prepare before a potential transaction (something my company has created a checklist for) can gain an advantage as technology compresses timelines.
    — Rusty Wiley, Forbes.com, 1 Oct. 2026
Definition of compresses
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

bears (down)
bears (down on)
bears down on
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Cite this Entry

“Bears (down on).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bears%20%28down%20on%29. Accessed 26 Oct. 2026.

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