squeeze through

Idioms  

1. Also, squeeze by. Manage to pass, win, or survive by a narrow margin, as in We squeezed through the second round of playoffs, or There was just enough food stored in the cabin for us to squeeze by until the hurricane ended. This idiom uses squeeze in the sense of “succeed by means of compression.” [c. 1700] Also see squeak by.

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Example Sentences

But bighorn — with their broad, curved horns — can’t squeeze through.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 1, 2026

Often it seems, this cosy spot would appear to be a window sill, as ladybirds can easily squeeze through the small gaps around loose fitting windows.

From BBC • Oct. 7, 2025

If we were to squeeze through small cracks in his mind’s cavern walls or crawl down its miniaturized hallways toward Erickson's nerve center, we might find ourselves in a room with a broken printer.

From Salon • Feb. 15, 2025

Imagine a slime-like robot that can seamlessly change its shape to squeeze through narrow spaces, which could be deployed inside the human body to remove an unwanted item.

From Science Daily • May 9, 2024

I roll through neighbors’ yards, cut through cul-de-sacs, and squeeze through fences— whatever I need to do to keep that little thief in my sight.

From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer