bear down

present singular third person bears down · participle present bearing down · past bore down · participle past borne down

1. Used other than figuratively or idiomatically: see bear, down.
2. nauticalTo steer away from the wind; to approach from windward.
3. transitiveTo push (someone) to the ground; to defeat, overcome.First known use 14th c.
4. obsoletetransitiveTo maintain one's position against (someone) in a debate; to stand one's ground against.First known use 16th–17th c.

   And they sayd unto her: thou arte mad. And she bare them doune that hit was even so.

   1526, [William Tyndale, transl.], The Newe Testamẽt […] (Tyndale Bible), [Worms, Germany: Peter Schöffer], →OCLC, Acts

5. intransitiveTo intensify one's efforts.

   It's 9:41, 58 degrees, and I'm flunking out. Time to bear down.

   3 more examples

   When Furyk spots another Arizona alum on Tour, one of them will utter the official U of A exhortation, which dates to the 1920s, when on his deathbed the school's quarter-back urged the football team to "bear down." Few on Tour bear down like Furyk. He has his plan and sticks to it.

   2003 October, Cameron Morfit, “A Furious Focus; Call his swing whatever you want--Jim Furyk's approach to life and golf is anything but loopy”, in Golf Magazine, volume 45, number 10, page 106

   Will CAFTA pass? The White House is starting to bear down, making the argument that CAFTA is not only a good deal economically, but vital for the political development and security of the region.

   2005 May 12, Sue Kirchhoff, “Central American Free Trade Agreement faces obstacles”, in USA Today

   You can't really run faster or farther over the long haul simply by bearing down harder. You have to raise the level of your effort, then relax, and trust that preparation.

   2009 January, James Applewhite, “Write a poem in THREE PHASES.”, in Writer, volume 122, number 1, pages 22–23

6. intransitivewith onTo approach in a determined manner.

   Huth headed wide inside two minutes, Andy Wilkinson blasted over from Shotton's cut-back and Jones was squeezed out when bearing down on goal.

   2011 November 3, David Ornstein, “Macc Tel-Aviv 1 - 2 Stoke”, in BBC Sport

7. intransitiveTo exert downward pressure on one's abdomen, as in giving birth, forcing out feces, and some similar bodily maneuvers.