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Glite Dictionary
🚢 To approach forcefully ⬇️ To press hard
to bear down on

to bear down on

7 7.7
To move a ship toward another ship often to attack it
  • phrasal verb
  • /bɛr daʊn ɑn/
  • Specialized
translation icon : dirigirse hacia
  • hurricane bearing down on
  • storm bearing down on
  • train bearing down on

Examples

  • His buddies take out the two foot soldiers, but the officer comes bearing down on him.

    Memorial Day (2011)

  • A big part of the Army of the Potomac was bearing down on him.

    Fiction book (1992)

  • The woman looks up, sees the locomotive bearing down on her.

    Fiction book (1996)

  • Jacob looks up from the trench and sees a continuing wave of American soldiers bearing down on them.

    Fiction book (1990)

  • Suddenly, they see a John Deere harvester bearing down on them.

    Fiction book (1999)

  • The Four Horsemen were bearing down on him, closing impossibly fast.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • The Horseman was bearing down on him, its serpent's claws scrabbling viciously on the rocky earth.

    Fiction book (1993)

  • The massive cargo ship is bearing down on the fishing vessel, causing everyone to panic.

  • As the storm approached, the rescue boats began bearing down on the stranded tourists.

  • The naval fleet was bearing down on the enemy ship in a show of force.

Synonyms

to bear down
vsto bear down on
16 5.8

Move quickly and forcefully toward someone or something to attack

moves toward with intent but less focus on speed or force
to bear down upon
vsto bear down on
  • Specialized
1 8.2

Sail a ship close to another one, usually to attack

moves toward with purposeful intent rather than only closing distance
pursuing
vsto bear down on
3.2

Following someone to try to catch them

moves toward with intent to act, not merely following behind

How Aggressive

to ram
1 4.1
to charge
128 3.6
to bear down on
  • Specialized
7 7.7
to drift
331 2.9

Surface Forms

bear down on infinitive
bearing down on present participle
bears down on third person singular
bore down on past
bore down on past participle

Morphology

bear + down + on

The components 'bear' (to carry/press), 'down' (toward a lower position) and 'on' (onto) together evoke pressing or applying weight, so the meaning is partly derivable from the parts as a metaphorical downward/forward pressure. However, the specific sense 'to exert strong force or pressure on someone/something' is a figurative extension and may not be fully predictable to an average B1 learner without exposure, so it is not fully transparent.

Etymology

Bear down on comes from ships. Imagine a large ship steering straight toward another, as if it will bear forward and come down on it, so the phrase came to mean 'to move toward' something with purpose.