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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."

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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.

White’s Instagram reel was filmed at the White Stripes frontman’s Third Man Pressing Plant in Detroit, where an electric blue record “hot off the press” announces his Ford Field appearance.

From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 17, 2025

Pressing a finger on the string shortens the wave, changing the pitch of the note.

From Science Daily • Oct. 21, 2025

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 for an alternative, he warned NRW that if the company ceased to function then enforcement action against the landowner "is unlikely to be quick or cheap".

From BBC • Mar. 12, 2024

Pressing business awaits Lin coln in his office, but he allows breakfast to stretch on for almost an hour.

From "Lincoln's Last Days: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever" by Bill O'Reilly

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