as in to weigh (on or upon)
to push steadily against with some force
you need to bear down on that cap a bit to get it to latch tightly
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
bear down on
2 of 2phrase
as in highlight
to indicate the importance of by centering attention on
Our manager bore down on the need to meet upcoming deadlines.
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Recent Examples of Synonyms for bear (down on)
Verb
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On foreign policy, Booker criticized Trump’s proposals to acquire Greenland and Canada, arguing that such efforts are undermining America’s credibility on the global stage and distracting from more pressing diplomatic and security challenges.—
Nik Popli,
Time,
2 Apr. 2025 -
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has spent recent months pressing exactly this case in Washington: Any agreement to end the war in Ukraine—and particularly any deal that relaxes sanctions on Russia—must include provisions to curb Russian military support for Iran and Hezbollah.—
Jason D. Greenblatt,
MSNBC Newsweek,
2 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The man shoved the victim onto the tracks, and as bystanders rushed to pull him back onto the platform before a train rumbled into the station, the attacker took off on foot.—
Elizabeth Keogh,
New York Daily News,
2 Apr. 2025
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Cream pie out of respect to many a great stooge who cruelly had the sweet treat shoved or thrown onto their face.—
Jesse David Fox,
Vulture,
1 Apr. 2025
Verb
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The song is deliberately compressed to sound like a Phil Spector track, and a video John made for the Gilbert O’Sullivan Show in 1973 features a rare cameo from Bernie mimicking Ray Cooper on bells.—
Shana Naomi Krochmal,
Vulture,
4 Apr. 2025
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Many of them focus on radically new technologies for heating and compressing plasmas, or fusing unusual combinations of isotopes.—
ArsTechnica,
ArsTechnica,
1 Apr. 2025
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Cite this Entry
“Bear (down on).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/bear%20%28down%20on%29. Accessed 16 Apr. 2025.
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