as in weighed (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
bore down on
2 of 2phrase
as in highlighted
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 bore (down on)
Verb
-
Cruz also pressed his Democratic colleagues to join a bipartisan request for the DOJ to turn over the evidentiary basis for the subpoenas, arguing transparency was necessary to assess whether the secrecy orders were justified.—
Kaelan Deese,
The Washington Examiner,
8 Jan. 2026 -
Dokoupil pressed Homan, saying most Americans, having seen videos of ICE in action, would question Homan's claims.—
Aliza Chasan,
CBS News,
8 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
Jared Leucke said on the 911 call that his father shoved him, causing his knife to fall out of his pocket.—
Matthew Cupelli,
Cincinnati Enquirer,
7 Nov. 2025
-
His memoir told of workhouse guards beating prisoners on the least pretense, and of one guard who regularly shoved prisoners down flights of stairs.—
Equal Justice Initiative,
USA Today,
6 Nov. 2025
Verb
-
Available pore space is diminished when roots fill it or the soil gets compressed as the soil particles break down over time and pack together.—
Megan Hughes,
Better Homes & Gardens,
8 Nov. 2025
-
The photograph of the plumbing was compressed, along with Max’s prompt, into a vector that captured its most important features.—
James Somers,
New Yorker,
3 Nov. 2025
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
“Bore (down on).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bore%20%28down%20on%29. Accessed 8 Jan. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share