bear down upon vs near

bear down upon is not an adjective while near is an adjective.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
bear down upon	No	No	Yes	No
near	No	Yes	Yes	Yes

As verbs, near is a hypernym of bear down upon; that is, near is a word with a broader meaning than bear down upon:

Other hypernyms of bear down upon include approach, come near, come on, draw close, draw near, go up.

bear down upon (adjective)	near (adjective)
	not far distant in time or space or degree or circumstances
	closely resembling the genuine article
	with or in a close or intimate relationship
	being on the left side
	giving or spending with reluctance
	very close in resemblance

bear down upon (verb)	near (verb)
sail towards another vessel, of a ship	move towards

bear down upon (adverb)	near (adverb)
	near in time or place or relationship
	(of actions or states) slightly short of or not quite accomplished; all but