bear down
Americanverb (used without object)
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to advance on a person, place, or thing in an intimidating way.
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(of weather) to have a particularly intense impact (often followed by on).
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to expend a great deal of effort.
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to apply oneself with determination.
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to use the abdominal muscles to exert internal pressure.
verb (used with object)
verb
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to press or weigh down
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to approach in a determined or threatening manner
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(of a vessel) to make an approach (to another vessel, obstacle, etc) from windward
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(of a woman during childbirth) to exert a voluntary muscular pressure to assist delivery
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Press or weigh down on someone or something. For example, This pen doesn't write unless you bear down hard on it . [Late 1600s]
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Try hard, intensify one's efforts, as in If you'll just bear down, you'll pass the test .
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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]
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
At the All-Star Game, Los Angeles Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said he believes the implementation of ABS has “made the umpiring even better, because they have to bear down even more.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026
That question matters more than ever as tariffs, surging energy prices and the threat of artificial intelligence bear down on the broader economy.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 22, 2026
Ministers say that the enormous piece of legislation will target the crimes that communities want prioritised to make their areas feel safer and to bear down on behaviour that has gone unpunished.
From BBC ● Feb. 24, 2025
“Playoffs can get uncomfortable for some people, but I think he’s one of those guys who can focus and bear down in these moments. And he wants the moment. That’s a talent and a skill.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2024
But that experience made Mommy bear down on the younger ones like me even more.
From "The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother" by James McBride
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
