bear in on
C1 formal inseparable transitive
In simple words
When a truth or feeling becomes so strong that it is impossible to ignore.
Literal meaning: To bear (carry/press) in upon someone — a weight pressing inward.
Meanings
1 C1
idiomatic
formal
For a truth, realisation, or oppressive feeling to become inescapably clear and overwhelming to someone.
"The full weight of what he had done began to bear in on him as he sat alone."
Grammar: inseparable
Usage notes
Formal and literary in tone. Typically used in the passive or with impersonal subjects. Common in literary fiction to describe dawning awareness or oppressive realisation.
Commonly used with
truth reality sense awareness feeling fact
Forms
Base
bear in on
I/you/we/they
3rd person
bears in on
he/she/it
Past simple
bore in on
yesterday
Past participle
born/borne in on
have + pp
-ing form
bearing in on
continuous
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