bear down

verb

1. to press or weigh down

2. to approach in a determined or threatening manner

3. (of a vessel) to make an approach (to another vessel, obstacle, etc) from windward

4. (of a woman during childbirth) to exert a voluntary muscular pressure to assist delivery

Idioms and Phrases

Press or weigh down on someone or something. For example, This pen doesn't write unless you bear down hard on it . [Late 1600s]

Try hard, intensify one's efforts, as in If you'll just bear down, you'll pass the test .

Move forward in a pressing or threatening way, as in The ferry bore down on our little skiff . This usage was originally nautical. [Early 1700s]