bear (down on) 1 of 2

verb

Definition of bear (down on)next
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

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bear down on

2 of 2

phrase

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)
  1. press
  2. shove
  3. compress
Verb
  • Eight years ago, protesters frequently drove coverage in their preferred direction by disrupting candidates (Movimiento Cosecha pushed Biden to endorse a deportation moratorium, for instance) and showing up to press them at Q&As.
    — David Weigel, semafor.com, 19 Oct. 2026
  • For the 31st time as secretary of state, Marco Rubio has left on a trip abroad, flying to Uzbekistan and later India amid rumblings that America's top diplomat is ignoring pressing matters in favor of politically safer visits and meetings.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 18 Oct. 2026
Definition of press
Verb
  • As Jay waddles into the water, the waves seem to want to shove the reedy young man back to shore.
    — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
  • The worm, however impossible to miss, is shoved, bumped, and pushed around with everyone else in the stifling subway car.
    — Deadline, Deadline, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of shove
Verb
  • How the whiplash is different now Now, the time frame is being compressed.
    — Jack Dolan, Los Angeles Times, 15 Oct. 2026
  • Full resolution can use a lot more storage There is a reason photo-sharing services have compressed images for years.
    — Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of compress
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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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 20 Oct. 2026.

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