contract vs bear down

contract is a noun but bear down is not a noun.

Word	Noun	Adjective	Verb	Adverb
contract	Yes	No	Yes	No
bear down	No	No	Yes	No

As verbs, bear down is a hyponym of contract; that is, bear down is a word with a more specific, narrower meaning than contract:

contract: squeeze or press together
bear down: contract the abdominal muscles during childbirth to ease delivery

Other hyponyms of contract include choke, strangle, prim, astringe, strangulate, convulse, convulse, overbear, choke, fret, gag, choke, scrag.

contract (noun)	bear down (noun)
a variety of bridge in which the bidder receives points toward game only for the number of tricks he bid
a binding agreement between two or more persons that is enforceable by law
(contract bridge) the highest bid becomes the contract setting the number of tricks that the bidder must make

contract (verb)	bear down (verb)
be stricken by an illness, fall victim to an illness	exert a force or cause a strain upon
make or become more narrow or restricted	pay special attention to
become smaller or draw together	exert full strength
reduce in scope while retaining essential elements	to make a rush at or sudden attack upon, as in battle
compress or concentrate	exert a force with a heavy weight
enter into a contractual arrangement	contract the abdominal muscles during childbirth to ease delivery
make smaller
squeeze or press together
engage by written agreement