squeeze

American  

[skweez] / skwiz /

verb (used with object)

• squeezes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• squeezed,
  past participle,  past
• squeezing
  present participle

1. to press forcibly together; compress.

2. to apply pressure to in order to extract juice, sap, or the like.

   The tool is used to squeeze an orange.

3. to force out, extract, or procure by pressure.

   For this cocktail, first squeeze the juice from a pineapple.

4. to thrust forcibly; force by pressure; cram.

   I squeezed three suits into a small suitcase and now I'm afraid to unpack.

   Synonyms:

   stuff, jam, pac, crowd

5. to fit into a small or crowded space or timespan.

   The doctor will try to squeeze you in between appointments.

6. to enclose (another person's hand, arm, etc.) in one's hand and apply pressure as a token of affection, friendship, sympathy, or the like.

   His father squeezed his hand and wished him luck.

7. to give (someone) a hug.

8. to threaten, intimidate, harass, or oppress (a person) in order to obtain a favor, money, or an advantageous attitude or action.

9. to cause financial hardship to.

   Manufacturers squeezed by high tariffs have stopped offering international shipping.

10. to obtain a facsimile impression of.

11. to cause to merge, as two or more lines of traffic into fewer lanes.

12. Baseball.

    1. to enable (a runner on third base) to score on a squeeze play (often followed byin ).

       He squeezed him in with a perfect bunt.

    2. to score (a run) in this way (often followed byin ).

       The Dodgers squeezed in a run in the eighth inning.

13. Bridge. to force (an opponent) to play a potentially winning card on a trick they cannot win.

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verb (used without object)

• squeezes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• squeezed,
  past participle,  past
• squeezing
  present participle

1. to exert a compressing force.

   She took his hand and squeezed hard.

2. to force one's way through some narrow or crowded place (usually followed by through, in, out, etc.).

   It was so crowded we could barely squeeze through the passageway.

3. to merge or come together.

noun

• squeezes
  plural

1. the act or fact of squeezing or the fact of being squeezed.

   It'll be a bit of a squeeze to get them all in the same taxi.

2. a clasping of one's hand around another's hand, arm, etc., as a token of affection, friendship, sympathy, or the like.

3. a hug or close embrace.

4. a troubled financial condition, especially caused by a shortage or restriction, as of credit or funds.

5. a small quantity or amount of anything obtained by squeezing.

   It just needs a squeeze of lemon juice.

6. squeak.

7. Slang. a sweetheart.

   his main squeeze.

8. a facsimile impression of an inscription or the like, obtained by pressing some plastic substance over or around it.

9. squeeze play.

10. Bridge. a play or circumstance whereby an opponent is forced to waste or discard a potentially winning card.

11. an act of threatening, intimidating, harassing, or oppressing a person or persons to obtain a favor, money, or an advantageous attitude or action.

    gangsters putting the squeeze on small businesses.

12. money or a favor obtained in such a way.

squeeze British  

/ skwiːz /

verb

1. to grip or press firmly, esp so as to crush or distort; compress

2. to crush or press (something) so as to extract (a liquid)

   to squeeze the juice from an orange

   to squeeze an orange

3. to apply gentle pressure to, as in affection or reassurance

   he squeezed her hand

4. to push or force in a confined space

   to squeeze six lettuces into one box

   to squeeze through a crowd

5. to hug closely

6. to oppress with exacting demands, such as excessive taxes

7. to exert pressure on (someone) in order to extort (something): to squeeze money out of a victim by blackmail

8. (intr) to yield under pressure

9. to make an impression of (a coin, etc) in a soft substance

10. bridge whist to lead a card that forces (opponents) to discard potentially winning cards

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noun

1. the act or an instance of squeezing or of being squeezed

2. a hug or handclasp

3. a crush of people in a confined space

4. a condition of restricted credit imposed by a government to counteract price inflation

5. an impression, esp of a coin, etc, made in a soft substance

6. an amount extracted by squeezing

   add a squeeze of lemon juice

7. commerce any action taken by a trader or traders on a market that forces buyers to make purchases and prices to rise

8. informal pressure brought to bear in order to extort something (esp in the phrase put the squeeze on )

9. Also called: squeeze play. bridge whist a manoeuvre that forces opponents to discard potentially winning cards

10. informal a person with whom one is having a romantic relationship

squeeze Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing squeeze

• main squeeze
• put the arm (squeeze) on
• tight squeeze

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• squeezer
  noun
• intersqueeze
  verb (used with object)
• squeezable
  adjective
• unsqueezed
  adjective
• squeezingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• squeezes
  plural

Participles

• squeezing
  present
• squeezed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• squeeze
  simple
• squeezes
  simple
• have squeezed
  perfect
• has squeezed
  perfect
• am squeezing
  progressive
• are squeezing
  progressive
• is squeezing
  progressive
• have been squeezing
  perfect progressive
• has been squeezing
  perfect progressive

Past

• squeezed
  simple
• had squeezed
  perfect
• was squeezing
  progressive
• were squeezing
  progressive
• had been squeezing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will squeeze
  simple
• will have squeezed
  perfect
• will be squeezing
  progressive
• will have been squeezing
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of squeeze

First recorded in 1590–1600; perhaps variant of obsolete squize ( Old English cwȳsan ) “to squeeze,” with initial s by false division of words in a closely joined phrase

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Explanation

When you squeeze something, you put pressure on it. If you squeeze your toothpaste from the bottom up, you'll get the most out of your tube. The word squeeze has to do with force or pressure. When you squeeze something, like an orange, you are crushing it to extract juice. When you squeeze into a pair of jeans, you're forcing yourself into them. When you give someone a squeeze, you're giving them a tight hug. And when you're in a squeeze, you're in a tight spot, or a bind.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

squeeze squeezes squeezed squeezing

But so many back-to-back ignitions are jeopardizing the ecosystem’s long-term viability — and making it even more fire-prone as invasive plants squeeze out native species.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026

With long school holidays, France's teachers have to squeeze their curriculum into 162 days per year, compared to 225 days in neighbouring Germany, according to the OECD.

From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026

His colleague, quantitative research analyst David Chew, sees IWM at risk of a short squeeze in the near term.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 12, 2026

Wouldn’t it be convenient if a wearable health tracker could take measurements without the panic-inducing arm squeeze?

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 11, 2026

“Just do your best,” Mr. Sasaki said, giving Sadako’s hand a squeeze.

From "Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes" by Eleanor Coerr

The presence of so many stalwarts largely squeezes out fresh talent, but the mysterious Irish newcomer Dove Ellis stands out as a potential winner, for the otherworldly beauty of his debut album, Blizzard.

From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026

She said that her “Ear Lift”—an exercise she practices in which she squeezes the jaw muscles around her ears—helps decrease brow-furrowing with lateral movements.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

"It grips my heart and squeezes," wrote the Telegraph's Neil McCormick, external.

From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026

Repairing damaged infrastructure, maintaining stretched emergency services and installing ACs in schools squeezes budgets.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 2, 2026

He grabs my hand and squeezes it, and we sit in silence for a minute or ten, remembering.

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam

A yearslong boom in Chinese demand has fizzled, and the West’s aspirational middle classes, vital to brands like Louis Vuitton, are increasingly squeezed by price inflation, damping their confidence to splurge on high-end goods.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 12, 2026

Meanwhile, Network Rail has acknowledged a squeezed budget means difficult choices, and shoring up the network against the effects of more extreme weather requires investment.

From BBC ● Oct. 12, 2026

Ministers have said they could look again at resources for schools within next year's squeezed budget.

From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026

Meanwhile, consumer-facing companies have been squeezed as higher borrowing costs and sticky inflation erode household purchasing power.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026

Katherine grabbed Jonah’s arm and squeezed hard as a girl with light brown hair quietly slipped around the table at the front.

From "Found" by Margaret Peterson Haddix

Rising borrowing costs and sluggish exits are squeezing smaller private-equity firms, leading to employee turnover.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026

But in recent years, the shows have become money losers and the network TV business — faced with a decline in viewers that is squeezing profits — are cutting them loose.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 12, 2026

"The combined impact of higher rates and higher energy prices is squeezing household budgets and adding to firms' costs," he says.

From BBC ● Oct. 9, 2026

There, rising expenses are squeezing voters while data centers spark backlash.

From Barron's ● Oct. 9, 2026

Then she surprised me by wrapping her arms around Audrey and me and squeezing.

From "Keep It Together, Keiko Carter" by Debbi Michiko Florence

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Related Words

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