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.

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