pressing
Americanadjective
noun
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any phonograph record produced in a record-molding press from a master or a stamper.
-
a number of such records produced at one time.
The fifth pressing of his hit song has sold out.
adjective
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demanding immediate attention
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persistent or importunate
noun
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a large specified number of gramophone records produced at one time from a master record
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a component formed in a press
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football the tactic of trying to stay very close to the opposition when they are in possession of the ball
Other Word Forms
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."
Vocabulary lists containing pressing
Trash
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Lesson 11
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Important
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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.
Pressing a finger on the string shortens the wave, changing the pitch of the note.
From Science Daily • Oct. 21, 2025
Pressing ahead and losing would raise even more.
From BBC • Jun. 24, 2025
“We’re essentially making a waffle here,” said Rick Hashimoto, owner of the new Fidelity Record Pressing, as he tapped his custom replica of a decades-old SMT vinyl press last week.
From Los Angeles Times • May 23, 2024
Pressing her body down for leverage, she scraped the wood with a gouge, removing layers, her hands steady and firm.
From New York Times • Apr. 4, 2024
Pressing himself into the shadows beside the door, he listened hard, and hearing nothing, he looked around carefully.
From "The Book of Dust: La Belle Sauvage" by Philip Pullman
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
