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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

  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

  • nonpressing adjective
  • pressingly adverb
  • pressingness noun

Etymology

Origin of pressing

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

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.

It is spoken in hospital corridors and courtrooms, in waiting rooms and at kitchen tables, by those who keep pressing, keep trying, keep hoping.

From Slate • Mar. 29, 2026

Several Senate Republicans had been pressing the White House to declare a national emergency to free up money to pay TSA staff, the Wall Street Journal report had earlier reported.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 26, 2026

Playing more slowly on the ball in theory may have helped Chelsea's players rest during the game before then pressing more intensely for shorter periods.

From BBC • Mar. 24, 2026

Some now are pressing pause, bowing out or trying to change things up creatively.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 23, 2026

It dipped slightly, almost pressing against her nose.

From "City Spies" by James Ponti

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.