From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishbring something to bear (on/upon something)bring something to bear (on/upon something)formal to use something, for example your power, authority, or your knowledge, in a way that will have a big effect on something or someone The full force of the law was brought to bear on anyone who criticized the government. → bring
Examples from the Corpus
bring something to bear (on/upon something)• He resisted the pain, tried to bring the weapon to bear.• Mummy and I will bring our guns to bear.• Short of a hostile military intervention in Kosovo, there are other ways of bringing outside power to bear.• Workers have their own organisations which can bring pressure to bear on governments and make demands on the state.• He brought undue pressure to bear on his parents by giving them an entirely misleading account of the documents.• He could not bring his mind to bear on the distant world her handwriting suggested.• Campaigning can bring political influences to bear on the students that might affect them detrimentally. 3.• Employers brought maximum pressure to bear on workers in order to restore order: recalcitrant strikers faced lock-outs. 