bears down
Pushes with force
Bears down means to apply pressure or force, often with determined effort.
A person bears down when pushing through difficulty or concentrating intensely: She bore down and finished the exam.
In childbirth, to bear down is to push during contractions.
Something that bears down on you approaches in a threatening way: The storm bore down on the coast.
- oppressUnjustly burden or dominate
- put the screwsIntensify pressure on someone
- confrontFace squarely, address directly
- zero in onFocus precisely upon
- strainExcessive stretching force
overwhelm · persist · press on · advance · persevere · compel · take charge · burden · high stakes · focus · squeeze · tighten · close quarters · exert · closing in · intimidate · borne · grit
bears downlets up
Diminishes in intensity
releases · backs off · lifts · lightens up · loosens
bears downretreats
Backs off or sanctuaries
pulls back · withdraws · backs away · recedes · draws back
bear, bears, born, bearing, bearable, unbearable, bearer, down, downs