bear down
verb
bore down;
borne down
also born down;
bearing down;
bears down
Definition of bear down
: to exert full strength and concentrated attention
Examples of bear down in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The high temperatures bearing down on Europe may be a threat to the ailing building, according to Chief Architect Philippe Villeneuve. — Christina Zdanowicz, CNN, "Notre Dame's architect says the heat wave could cause the cathedral's ceiling to collapse," 24 July 2019 The Judah’s Advance cover features a drawing of a ship bearing down on a rocky coastline, where a stone tablet engraved with the Ten Commandments sat amongst a pile of rocks that had fallen from the sky. — Leah Sottile, Longreads, "Chapter Five: The Remnant," 20 July 2019 Rhode Island Democrat David Cicilline, who leads the antitrust panel, is bearing down on technology companies as antitrust enforcers prepare their own scrutiny of the industry. — Bloomberg News, cleveland.com, "Tech giants brace for Washington showdown in echo of Bill Gates," 16 July 2019 Gentrification pressures are bearing down on homes all along the street, pushing up sales prices and property taxes. — San Antonio Express-News, "Subscribe to the San Antonio Express-News," 3 Jan. 2015 Here’s what happens when the summer sun is bearing down and the temperature rises: The heat warms the blood vessels close to your skin, and that warmer blood moves to your core, raising your body temperature. — Michele Cohen Marill, WIRED, "How Extreme Heat Overwhelms Your Body and Becomes Deadly," 3 July 2019 Her images often bear down on or tower over the viewer; one writer compared them to Easter Island heads. — Roberta Smith, BostonGlobe.com, "Joyce Pensato, who made cartoon characters complex," 25 June 2019 Sometimes the forces of natural selection bear down on individuals. — Quanta Magazine, "A Mathematician Who Decodes the Patterns Stamped Out by Life," 20 Dec. 2017 Adams put the bear down after deeming its behavior a serious threat to the community, the newspaper reported. — Fox News, "Alaska bear put down after breaking into fishing lodge in search of dinner," 4 July 2019These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'bear down.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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More Definitions for bear down
bear down
intransitive verb
\ (ˈ)ba(ə)r-ˈdau̇n, (ˈ)be(ə)r-
\
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Medical Definition of bear down
: to contract the abdominal muscles and the diaphragm during childbirth