bear down
verb
bore down; borne down also born down; bearing down; bears down
: to exert full strength and concentrated attention
Examples of bear down in a Sentence
you need to bear down on that cap a bit to get it to latch tightly
Recent Examples on the Web
On Friday and into the weekend, heavy rain is expected to bear down on Southeast from northern Florida to the Carolinas.
—
Christopher Cann, USA Today, 29 May 2025
Russia has appeared to bear down in the war in Ukraine instead of easing up in hopes of achieving a peace deal or even a ceasefire.
—Astha Rajvanshi, NBC news, 26 May 2025
Psychologists heeded the call, bearing down on new fields of research, including well-being and happiness.
—Kirsten Potter Krish Seenivasan Lance Neal, New York Times, 1 May 2025
Boorstin pressed NBCUniversal is dealing with the economic pressures that are bearing down on TV and film production and how that inevitably impacts financial decisions and creative decisions.
—Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 8 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bear down
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Christopher Cann, USA Today, 29 May 2025
Russia has appeared to bear down in the war in Ukraine instead of easing up in hopes of achieving a peace deal or even a ceasefire.
—Astha Rajvanshi, NBC news, 26 May 2025
Psychologists heeded the call, bearing down on new fields of research, including well-being and happiness.
—Kirsten Potter Krish Seenivasan Lance Neal, New York Times, 1 May 2025
Boorstin pressed NBCUniversal is dealing with the economic pressures that are bearing down on TV and film production and how that inevitably impacts financial decisions and creative decisions.
—Cynthia Littleton, Variety, 8 Apr. 2025
See All Example Sentences for bear down
Cite this Entry
“Bear down.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/bear%20down. Accessed 4 Jun. 2025.
Copy CitationMedical Definition
bear down
intransitive verb
: to contract the abdominal muscles and the diaphragm during childbirth
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