pressure

American  

[presh-er] / ˈprɛʃ ər /

noun

• pressures
  plural

1. the exertion of force upon a surface by an object, fluid, etc., in contact with it.

   the pressure of earth against a wall.

2. Physics. force per unit area. P

3. Meteorology. atmospheric pressure.

4. Electricity. electromotive force.

5. the state of being pressed or compressed.

6. harassment; oppression.

   the pressures of daily life.

7. a constraining or compelling force or influence.

   the social pressures of city life;

   financial pressure.

8. urgency, as of affairs or business.

   He works well under pressure.

9. Obsolete. that which is impressed.

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verb (used with object)

• pressures,
  present (3rd person singular)
• pressured,
  past participle,  past
• pressuring
  present participle

1. to force (someone) toward a particular end; influence.

   They pressured him into accepting the contract.

2. pressurize.

pressure British  

/ ˈprɛʃə /

noun

1. the state of pressing or being pressed

2. the exertion of force by one body on the surface of another

3. a moral force that compels

   to bring pressure to bear

4. an urgent claim or demand or series of urgent claims or demands

   to work under pressure

5. a burdensome condition that is hard to bear

   the pressure of grief

6. p, P. the normal force applied to a unit area of a surface, usually measured in pascals (newtons per square metre), millibars, torr, or atmospheres

7. short for atmospheric pressure blood pressure

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verb

1. (tr) to constrain or compel, as by the application of moral force

2. another word for pressurize

pressure Scientific  

/ prĕsh′ər /

1. The force per unit area that one region of a gas, liquid, or solid exerts on another. Pressure is usually measured in Pascal units, atmospheres, or pounds per square inch.

2. ◆ A substance is said to have negative pressure if some other substance exerts more force per unit area on it than vice versa. Its value is simply the negative of the pressure exerted by the other substance.

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pressure Cultural  

1. The force exerted on a given area. (See atmospheric pressure.)

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Discover More

The most familiar measure of pressure is psi (pounds per square inch), used to rate pressure in automobile and bicycle tires.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• nonpressure
  noun
• superpressure
  noun
• underpressure
  noun
• interpressure
  adjective
• pressureless
  adjective
• unpressured
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• pressures
  plural

Participles

• pressuring
  present
• pressured
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• pressure
  simple
• pressures
  simple
• have pressured
  perfect
• has pressured
  perfect
• am pressuring
  progressive
• are pressuring
  progressive
• is pressuring
  progressive
• have been pressuring
  perfect progressive
• has been pressuring
  perfect progressive

Past

• pressured
  simple
• had pressured
  perfect
• was pressuring
  progressive
• were pressuring
  progressive
• had been pressuring
  perfect progressive

Future

• will pressure
  simple
• will have pressured
  perfect
• will be pressuring
  progressive
• will have been pressuring
  perfect progressive

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Etymology

Origin of pressure

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English (noun), from Latin pressūra; see press ¹, -ure

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Explanation

You feel pressure when something presses on you –- whether a physical force or a stressful situation. If you don't crack under the pressure of witnessing the accident, you will calmly apply pressure on the driver's wound until help arrives. The pressure of a looming deadline might cause you to finally get to work on an assignment. Pressure can also be a verb, like when your friend pressures you to go rock climbing despite your fear of heights. The rocks you would rather not climb were formed long ago by extreme heat and pressure. While climbing, your friend's blood pressure may rise right along with yours when she sees how clumsy you are.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

pressure pressures pressured pressuring

By the end of the eight-week study, participants exercising just once or twice weekly had maintained significant reductions in systolic blood pressure and mean arterial pressure compared with the control group.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 27, 2026

Yet despite a recent supply pause, those bonds have still underperformed the broader market, creating angst and putting pressure on a growing part of many bond portfolios.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 27, 2026

The car and truck commercials that once packed ad breaks are thinning out on traditional TV, particularly its cable networks, as automakers respond to intense budget pressure and consumers’ evolving media habits.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 27, 2026

“In a rational market, these risks would be discounted by the market via pressure on the valuation,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 27, 2026

“Well,” said Zeke, who felt like this was an awful lot of pressure on one measly apology to a lying, bullying, wannabe supervillain, “I guess so.”

From "Chronicles of a Lizard Nobody" by Patrick Ness

Like many others, Katie and Amy love reading books as a way to unwind from the stresses and pressures of every day life.

From BBC ● Oct. 27, 2026

Your letter references how financial pressures, emotional turmoil, challenging workplace situations, addictions and mental-health challenges all play a role in how people deal with stressful situations.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 26, 2026

Although the results are consistent with a possible connection between language and survival, they do not establish that evolutionary pressures directly caused the safety bias.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 24, 2026

If market pressures keep building, Anthropic “could reasonably decide it is better to stay private and wait for a better opportunity,” one portfolio manager says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 23, 2026

He was one of the best teachers in the school, dedicated and lively, but because of the legitimate pressures of preparing for a crucial game, he did not have time to go to class.

From "Friday Night Lights: A Town, A Team, And A Dream" by H.G. Bissinger

The precious metal is likely pressured by rising energy costs and uncertainty surrounding the Federal Reserve’s coming decision, says XS.com’s Antonio Di Giacomo in a commentary.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 22, 2026

She described the offence as "a short-term, pressured decision by an elderly man living in difficult circumstances".

From BBC ● Oct. 22, 2026

Now she’s being pressured to sell the house and split the proceeds with the kids.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 21, 2026

The Greek government said it had "never" been threatened or pressured, and the foreign ministry said it was "unnecessary" to summon Guilfoyle on the issue.

From Barron's ● Oct. 14, 2026

As coal pressured into pearls by our weighty existence.

From "Catching Fire" by Suzanne Collins

In September, he told Meta’s board that he planned to list his Palo Alto home for sale, pressuring board members to find a solution.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 22, 2026

Norris had been pressuring Piastri for some laps before the Australian also began to close in on Leclerc, and Antonelli, struggling with oversteer in the early laps, picked up the pace.

From BBC ● Oct. 10, 2026

Yet many others have been locked out of prosperity, and entrenched inflation is pressuring even those with six-figure salaries.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 30, 2026

Higher diesel prices were already pressuring prices for groceries — especially perishables that are trucked to stores, such as fresh fruits and vegetables.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 23, 2026

“The only reason they sponsored our visas was because the government was pressuring them to hire workers with papers. But now everyone’s saying it was all talk.”

From "The Book of Unknown Americans" by Cristina Henríquez

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