BEARS (DOWN ON) Synonyms: 64 Similar and Opposite Words

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)

Verb

The video shows Ron Thompson appear to swing at Thompson, and Stephanie Daniels shoves her.

— Grant Lancaster, Arkansas Online, 9 July 2026
Here in the famous Festival Theatre, the sprite Ariel, played in splendidly sprightly fashion by Marissa Orjalo, opens up the top of a piano, a piece of island flotsam and Prospero, in the form of the veteran actor Geraint Wyn Davies, shoves his coat inside, throws up his hands and closes the lid.

— Chris Jones, Chicago Tribune, 26 June 2026

Definition of shoves

Verb

As Russia’s ground offensive stalls, European officials warn the air war is growing more ruthless while Ukraine hits Russia’s Ust-Luga oil port and India’s leader presses publicly for an end to fighting.

— Samya Kullab, Los Angeles Times, 1 Sep. 2026
His removal from the roster doesn’t make Miami better today, but presses the fast-forward button on the franchise’s future.

— Omar Kelly August 30, Miami Herald, 30 Aug. 2026

Definition of presses

Verb

Christmas tree pins have a tiered configuration that compresses rather than pierces the ground (a win for modern synthetic or Mondo tracks).

— Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 10 Sep. 2026
As the spacecraft strikes the air, the gas in front of it compresses rapidly and heats up.

— Atharva Gosavi, Interesting Engineering, 9 Sep. 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.

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“Bears (down on).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bears%20%28down%20on%29. Accessed 18 Sep. 2026.

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Synonyms of bears (down on)

verb

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