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Synonyms

pressing

American  
[pres-ing] / ˈprɛs ɪŋ /

adjective

  1. urgent; demanding immediate attention.

    a pressing need.

    Synonyms:
    imperative, critical, vital, crucial

noun

  • pressings
    plural
  1. any phonograph record produced in a record-molding press from a master or a stamper.

  2. a number of such records produced at one time.

    The fifth pressing of his hit song has sold out.

pressing British  
/ ˈprɛsɪŋ /

adjective

  1. demanding immediate attention

  2. persistent or importunate

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

noun

  1. a large specified number of gramophone records produced at one time from a master record

  2. a component formed in a press

  3. football the tactic of trying to stay very close to the opposition when they are in possession of the ball

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

Inflected Forms

Nouns


Etymology

Origin of pressing

1300–50; Middle English presing (gerund); see press 1, -ing 2, -ing 1


Explanation

If something's pressing, it's very important and should be taken care of right away. Your French club's most pressing issue might be raising money for the big trip to Montreal. Pressing business needs urgent attention, and pressing problems will turn into disasters if you don't figure out a quick way to solve them. Another meaning of pressing is "the act of exerting a strong pressure," like the pressing of apples into delicious cider. Pressing comes from the verb press, "to push against" or "to squeeze out," and later also "to urge or argue for."

Keep Reading on Vocabulary.com

Vocabulary lists containing pressing

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

Other pressing issues may deserve more attention, and I hope your adviser is raising them too.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 2, 2026

Corruption, according to some recent polls, has joined the economy as voters’ most pressing issue.

From Slate ● Nov. 2, 2026

In recent seasons, there has been a rise in man-to-man pressing which has removed the ability for teams to find overloads.

From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026

Buckingham Palace has insisted Charles' royal tour is an opportunity for the Caribbean nations to look forward and address pressing issues like climate change.

From Barron's ● Oct. 27, 2026

That was a tremendous relief, but there was a more pressing worry.

From "Flying Through Water" by Mamle Wolo

More important, she had recorded exclusively for the early Paramount label, notorious for its poor recording quality and worse shellac pressings.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 20, 2026

The first two pressings sold out in just five days via pre-order.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 6, 2025

When Swift drops an album, there are upward of five different vinyl pressings, all in their own color variant, with edition-specific bonus tracks and other exclusives—and all costing $30-plus each.

From Slate ● Jun. 19, 2024

The first impression copy is one of only 1,500 original pressings of the fantasy novel - that went on to spawn Tolkien's universe of Middle-Earth .

From BBC ● May 20, 2024

About the pressings he'd made since he was little, and the cuttings he collected.

From "City of the Plague God" by Sarwat Chadda

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