bear down on

Bear  (bâr), Mount

A peak, 4,523.5 m (14,831 ft) high, in the Wrangell Mountains of southern Alaska near the British Columbia border.

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bear ¹  (bâr)

v. bore (bôr, br), borne (bôrn, brn) or born (bôrn), bear·ing, bears

v.tr.

1. To hold up; support.

2. To carry from one place to another; transport.

3. To carry in the mind; harbor: bear a grudge.

4. To transmit at large; relate: bearing glad tidings.

5. To have as a visible characteristic: bore a scar on the left arm.

6. To have as a quality; exhibit: "A thousand different shapes it bears" (Abraham Cowley).

7. To carry (oneself) in a specified way; conduct: She bore herself with dignity.

8. To be accountable for; assume: bearing heavy responsibilities.

9. To have a tolerance for; endure: couldn't bear his lying.

10. To call for; warrant: This case bears investigation.

11. To give birth to: bore six children in five years.

12. To produce; yield: plants bearing flowers.

13. To offer; render: I will bear witness to the deed.

14. To move by or as if by steady pressure; push: "boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past" (F. Scott Fitzgerald).

v.intr.

1. To yield fruit; produce: peach trees that bear every summer.

2. To have relevance; apply: They studied the ways in which the relativity theory bears on the history of science.

3. To exert pressure, force, or influence.

4.

a. To force oneself along; forge.

b. To endure something with tolerance and patience: Bear with me while I explain matters.

5. To extend or proceed in a specified direction: The road bears to the right at the bottom of the hill.

Phrasal Verbs:

bear down

1. To advance in a threatening manner: The ship bore down on our canoe.

2. To apply maximum effort and concentration: If you really bear down, you will finish the task.

bear out

To prove right or justified; confirm: The test results bear out our claims.

bear up

To withstand stress, difficulty, or attrition: The patient bore up well during the long illness.

Idioms:

bear down on

To effect in a harmful or adverse way: Financial pressures are bearing down on them.

bear fruit

To come to a satisfactory conclusion or to fruition.

bear in mind

To hold in one's mind; remember: Bear in mind that bridges freeze before roads.

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[Middle English beren, from Old English beran; see bher-¹ in Indo-European roots.]

Synonyms: bear¹, endure, stand, abide, suffer, tolerate
These verbs mean to withstand something difficult or painful. Bear pertains broadly to the capacity to withstand: "Those best can bear reproof who merit praise" (Alexander Pope).
Endure specifies a continuing capacity to face pain or hardship: "Human life is everywhere a state in which much is to be endured and little to be enjoyed" (Samuel Johnson).
Stand implies resoluteness of spirit: Actors who can't stand criticism shouldn't perform in public.
Abide and suffer suggest the capacity to withstand patiently: She couldn't abide fools. He suffered their insults in silence.
Tolerate, when applied to something other than pain, connotes reluctant acceptance: "A decent . . . examination of the acts of government should be not only tolerated, but encouraged" (William Henry Harrison). See Also Synonyms at convey, produce.

Usage Note: Thanks to the vagaries of English spelling, bear has two past participles: born and borne. Traditionally, born is used only in passive constructions referring to birth: I was born in Chicago. For all other uses, including active constructions referring to birth, borne is the standard form: She has borne both her children at home. I have borne his insolence with the patience of a saint.

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bear ²  (bâr)

n.

1.

a. Any of various usually omnivorous mammals of the family Ursidae that have a shaggy coat and a short tail and walk with the entire lower surface of the foot touching the ground.

b. Any of various other animals, such as the koala, that resemble a true bear.

2. A large, clumsy, or ill-mannered person.

3.

a. One, such as an investor, that sells securities or commodities in expectation of falling prices.

b. A pessimist, especially regarding business conditions.

4. Slang Something that is difficult or unpleasant: The final exam was a bear.

5. Slang A highway patrol officer.

adj.

Characterized by falling prices: a bear market.

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[Middle English bere, from Old English bera; see bher-² in Indo-European roots. Sense 3, probably from proverb To sell the bear's skin before catching the bear.]

Thesaurus

Verb	1.	bear down on - sail towards another vessel, of a ship bear down upon navigation, pilotage, piloting - the guidance of ships or airplanes from place to place approach, draw near, near, come near, come on, draw close, go up - move towards; "We were approaching our destination"; "They are drawing near"; "The enemy army came nearer and nearer"
	2.	bear down on - exert a force with a heavy weight; "The snow bore down on the roof" bear down, drag down, press down on, weigh down press - exert pressure or force to or upon; "He pressed down on the boards"; "press your thumb on this spot"