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Bear down   /bɛr daʊn/   Listen
verb
Bear  v. t.  (past bore, formerly bare; past part. borne, born; pres. part. bearing)  
1.
To support or sustain; to hold up.
2.
To support and remove or carry; to convey. "I 'll bear your logs the while."
3.
To conduct; to bring; said of persons. (Obs.) "Bear them to my house."
4.
To possess and use, as power; to exercise. "Every man should bear rule in his own house."
5.
To sustain; to have on (written or inscribed, or as a mark), as, the tablet bears this inscription.
6.
To possess or carry, as a mark of authority or distinction; to wear; as, to bear a sword, badge, or name.
7.
To possess mentally; to carry or hold in the mind; to entertain; to harbor "The ancient grudge I bear him."
8.
To endure; to tolerate; to undergo; to suffer. "Should such a man, too fond to rule alone, Bear, like the Turk, no brother near the throne." "I cannot bear The murmur of this lake to hear." "My punishment is greater than I can bear."
9.
To gain or win. (Obs.) "Some think to bear it by speaking a great word." "She was... found not guilty, through bearing of friends and bribing of the judge."
10.
To sustain, or be answerable for, as blame, expense, responsibility, etc. "He shall bear their iniquities." "Somewhat that will bear your charges."
11.
To render or give; to bring forward. "Your testimony bear"
12.
To carry on, or maintain; to have. "The credit of bearing a part in the conversation."
13.
To admit or be capable of; that is, to suffer or sustain without violence, injury, or change. "In all criminal cases the most favorable interpretation should be put on words that they can possibly bear."
14.
To manage, wield, or direct. "Thus must thou thy body bear." Hence: To behave; to conduct. "Hath he borne himself penitently in prison?"
15.
To afford; to be to; to supply with. "His faithful dog shall bear him company."
16.
To bring forth or produce; to yield; as, to bear apples; to bear children; to bear interest. "Here dwelt the man divine whom Samos bore." Note: In the passive form of this verb, the best modern usage restricts the past participle born to the sense of brought forth, while borne is used in the other senses of the word. In the active form, borne alone is used as the past participle.
To bear down.
(a)
To force into a lower place; to carry down; to depress or sink. "His nose,... large as were the others, bore them down into insignificance."
(b)
To overthrow or crush by force; as, to bear down an enemy.
To bear a hand.
(a)
To help; to give assistance.
(b)
(Naut.) To make haste; to be quick.
To bear in hand, to keep (one) up in expectation, usually by promises never to be realized; to amuse by false pretenses; to delude. (Obs.) "How you were borne in hand, how crossed."
To bear in mind, to remember.
To bear off.
(a)
To restrain; to keep from approach.
(b)
(Naut.) To remove to a distance; to keep clear from rubbing against anything; as, to bear off a blow; to bear off a boat.
(c)
To gain; to carry off, as a prize.
(d)
(Backgammon) To remove from the backgammon board into the home when the position of the piece and the dice provide the proper opportunity; the goal of the game is to bear off all of one's men before the opponent.
To bear one hard, to owe one a grudge. (Obs.) "Caesar doth bear me hard."
To bear out.
(a)
To maintain and support to the end; to defend to the last. "Company only can bear a man out in an ill thing."
(b)
To corroborate; to confirm.
To bear up, to support; to keep from falling or sinking. "Religious hope bears up the mind under sufferings."
Synonyms: To uphold; sustain; maintain; support; undergo; suffer; endure; tolerate; carry; convey; transport; waft.






Collaborative International Dictionary of English 0.48








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"Bear down" Quotes from Famous Books



... and fro about the earth, with their net-work of fire, in this storm of life under which we of to-day are born. All the air is tremulous with quick, converging nerves; concentrating events, bringing each soul, as it were, into a possible focus continually, under the forces that are forging to bear down upon it. There are no delays,—no respites of ignorance. Right into the midst of our most careless or most selfish doing, comes the summons that arrests us in the ...
— The Other Girls • Mrs. A. D. T. Whitney

... answer. "Ten ships have struck; but five of the van have tacked, and show an intention to bear down upon the Victory. I have called two or three of our fresh ships around, and have no doubt ...
— Historical Tales, Vol. 4 (of 15) - The Romance of Reality • Charles Morris

... their trust are not conducted with openness, impartiality, and candor, instead of designed and secret management; if they become pointedly hostile to those who discern their course, and honestly oppose their measures which are esteemed destructive; if they bear down their inoffensive servants, who are faithful to the cause of truth, how can an establishment under these circumstances, be profitable to mankind? How can there be a gleam of prospective joy to any except ...
— The History of Dartmouth College • Baxter Perry Smith

... soon recognised in the Gothic army, and the shout spread far and wide to the javelin-men and the archers, "At the bay horse! At the bay horse!" The bravest of the Gothic chiefs placed their lances in rest, and rushed forward to bear down the Roman general. The guards of Belisarius, in that trying hour, showed themselves worthy of their own and, their general's fame. They closed up by his side, so well as to leave him only a single enemy. It is ridiculous to attempt describing a personal encounter thirteen centuries ...
— Blackwood's Edinburgh Magazine, Volume 61, No. 379, May, 1847 • Various

... garden, glad to see the allies separated. Helen, with the courage of her nature, tried to face and repulse the foe; but love was stronger than pride, maiden shame overcame anger, and, finding it vain to meet and bear down the steady, tender glance of the blue eyes fixed upon her, she dropped her head into her hands and sat before him, like one conquered but too proud to cry "Quarter." Her lover watched her till she hid her face, then drew near, knelt down before her, and said, with an undertone of deep feeling ...
— Kitty's Class Day And Other Stories • Louisa M. Alcott


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