pressure

[ presh-er ]

/ ˈprɛʃ ər /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR pressure ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the exertion of force upon a surface by an object, fluid, etc., in contact with it: the pressure of earth against a wall.

Physics. force per unit area. Symbol: PCompare stress(def 6).

Meteorology. atmospheric pressure.

Electricity. electromotive force.

the state of being pressed or compressed.

harassment; oppression: the pressures of daily life.

a constraining or compelling force or influence: the social pressures of city life; financial pressure.

urgency, as of affairs or business: He works well under pressure.

Obsolete. that which is impressed.

verb (used with object), pres·sured, pres·sur·ing.

to force (someone) toward a particular end; influence: They pressured him into accepting the contract.

pressurize.

Nearby words

pressoreceptor, pressosensitive, pressroom, pressrun, presstitute, pressure, pressure altimeter, pressure altitude, pressure cabin, pressure center, pressure cooker

Origin of pressure

1350–1400; Middle English (noun) < Latin pressūra. See press¹, -ure

Related forms

pres·sure·less, adjectivein·ter·pres·sure, adjectivenon·pres·sure, noun, adverbsu·per·pres·sure, noun, adjective

un·der·pres·sure, nounun·pres·sured, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for pressure

The 2014 midterm elections are just months behind us, but already Flake feels the pressure of the 2016 presidential elections.
Can This Republican Bring the GOP Back to Its Senses on Immigration?|Tim Mak|December 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Does any of that come from being attuned to the pressure of that need to entertain?
Daphne Merkin on Lena Dunham, Book Criticism, and Self-Examination|Mindy Farabee|December 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The pressure worked against Zarif and it can work again today.
Behind Bars for the Holidays: 11 Political Prisoners We Want to See Free In 2015|Movements.Org|December 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
It's a lot of pressure on host/producer Sarah Koenig, something she addresses in the beginning of the episode.
What if 'Serial' Has No Ending?|Alex Chancey, The Daily Beast Video|December 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST

The pressure against my throat seemed completely constricting.
Mailer’s Letters Pack a Punch and a Surprising Degree of Sweetness|Ronald K. Fried|December 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
And considering the pressure of the necessary preparation for schools, the temptation to shun the byways is very great.
An American at Oxford|John Corbin
If the temperature is raised still higher, or the pressure is reduced, oxygen is given off and the oxide is once more formed.
An Elementary Study of Chemistry|William McPherson
Pressure was put upon the Highlanders to bring the negotiation to a conclusion.
A History of England, Period III.|Rev. J. Franck Bright
It was she, surely, who had spoken first, when she begged to be released from his pressure.
The Eustace Diamonds|Anthony Trollope
The gauge is attached to the gas burner and the pressure is read by means of a scale attached to the gauge.
General Science|Bertha M. Clark

British Dictionary definitions for pressure

pressure

/ (ˈprɛʃə) /

noun

the state of pressing or being pressed

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

a moral force that compelsto bring pressure to bear

an urgent claim or demand or series of urgent claims or demandsto work under pressure

a burdensome condition that is hard to bearthe pressure of grief

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

short for atmospheric pressure, blood pressure

verb

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

another word for pressurize

Derived Formspressureless, adjective

Word Origin for pressure

C14: from Late Latin pressūra a pressing, from Latin premere to press

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

Word Origin and History for pressure (1 of 2)

pressure

late 14c., "suffering, anguish; act or fact of pressing on the mind or heart," from Old French presseure "oppression; torture; anguish; press" (for wine or cheeses), "instrument of torture" (12c.) and directly from Latin pressura "action of pressing," from pressus, past participle of premere "to press" (see press (v.1)).

Literal meaning "act or fact of pressing" in a physical sense is attested from early 15c. Meaning "moral or mental coercing force" is from 1620s; meaning "urgency" is from 1812. Scientific sense in physics is from 1650s. Pressure cooker is attested from 1915; figurative sense is from 1958. Pressure point is attested from 1876. Pressure-treated, of woods, is from 1911.

Word Origin and History for pressure (1 of 2)

pressure

"to pressurize," 1886, American English, from pressure (n.). Meaning "to exert pressure on" (someone) is attested by 1922. Related: Pressured; pressuring.

Medicine definitions for pressure

pressure

[ prĕsh′ər ]

n.

The act of pressing or condition of being pressed.

A stress or force acting in any direction against resistance.

Force applied uniformly over a surface, measured as force per unit of area.

Science definitions for pressure

pressure

[ prĕsh′ər ]

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.♦ 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.

Culture definitions for pressure

pressure

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

Note

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

pressure

noun

verb (used with object), pres·sured, pres·sur·ing.

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Origin of pressure

Examples from the Web for pressure

British Dictionary definitions for pressure

pressure

noun

verb

Word Origin for pressure

Word Origin and History for pressure (1 of 2)

pressure

Word Origin and History for pressure (1 of 2)

pressure

Medicine definitions for pressure

pressure

n.

Science definitions for pressure

pressure

Culture definitions for pressure

pressure

Note