bear down

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bear down

The student must bear down to finish the exam on time.

Definition

Verb (transitive and intransitive): 1. To exert pressure, force, or a heavy burden upon someone or something. 2. To move or advance in a determined, forceful, or threatening manner; to press on with great effort or intensity. 3. (In childbirth) To use abdominal muscles to push during a contraction.

Usage and Examples
  • To exert pressure or a burden:
    • The financial worries began to bear down on him, affecting his health.
    • The new regulations bear down heavily on small businesses.
  • To advance forcefully or attack:
    • The storm clouds bore down on the coastal town.
    • With the deadline approaching, she bore down and finished the report.
  • To focus effort or attention intensely:
    • The prosecutor bore down on the witness during cross-examination.
    • The coach told the team to bear down on defense in the second half.
  • (In childbirth):
    • The midwife instructed her to bear down with each contraction.
Advanced Usage
  • "Bear down on": This phrasal prepositional verb is commonly used to describe something applying pressure, either physically or metaphorically.
    • The responsibility of leadership bears down on the new CEO.
  • The phrase often implies a sense of inevitability, weight, or concentrated effort directed toward a specific point or goal.
Variants and Related Words
  • Bore down: Simple past tense.
    • The full weight of the evidence bore down on the defendant.
  • Borne down: Past participle (often used with "have," "has," or "had").
    • She has borne down with incredible strength throughout this ordeal.
Synonyms
  • Press (down on)
  • Weigh heavily (on)
  • Burden
  • Attack
  • Press on
  • Push (in the context of childbirth)
Related Phrasal Verbs
  • Bear down on: To move decisively or threateningly toward a target.
    • The police car bore down on the speeding vehicle.
  • Bear up: To endure hardship courageously (near antonym in context of pressure).
    • She is bearing up well under the strain.
Related Idioms
  • Bear down hard: To apply extreme pressure or focus.
    • The teacher bore down hard on students who plagiarized.
  • To bear the brunt: To withstand the worst part of something (conceptually related to receiving force).
    • The front-line workers bore the brunt of the pandemic's initial impact.
bear down

The student must bear down to finish the exam on time.

Verb
  1. exert a force or cause a strain upon
    • This tax bears down on the lower middle class
  2. pay special attention to
    • The lectures bore down on the political background
  3. exert full strength
    • The pitcher bore down
  4. to make a rush at or sudden attack upon, as in battle
    • he saw Jess charging at him with a pitchfork
  5. contract the abdominal muscles during childbirth to ease delivery
  6. exert a force with a heavy weight
    • The snow bore down on the roof

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