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

And do you now feel pressure to get a fit off?

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 12, 2026

As a result this was "placing additional pressure on resources, economies and communities around the world", she added.

From BBC ● Nov. 12, 2026

Data centres require large amounts of electricity, placing increased pressure on grids often still reliant on fossil fuels.

From Barron's ● Nov. 12, 2026

A new report from CoBank’s Knowledge Exchange notes that “without sustained investment in fleet replacement and waterway infrastructure, higher transportation costs could pressure farm margins, grain basis levels and U.S. export competitiveness.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 11, 2026

Este doesn’t want to pressure Lou Ann…but what about us?

From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko

Last year, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles laid off 5.8% of its staff as a result of outside pressures, including reduced Medi-Cal reimbursement rates.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 12, 2026

The plea came from someone who knows Michael Carrick well, has worked with him and understands at first hand the pressures of life in the United goldfish bowl.

From BBC ● Nov. 12, 2026

As Earth gained mass, it could have accumulated a dense atmosphere containing large amounts of hydrogen, with temperatures and pressures far higher than those found on the planet today.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 12, 2026

Recent inflation data confirmed that price pressures outside of energy have started to ratchet higher once again.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 11, 2026

Now that he’s not so perfect after all, the pressures on me.

From "The Sun Is Also a Star" by Nicola Yoon

He said at the time of the offence he was in the early stages of his career, calling it "a frantic, pressured and toxic working environment".

From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026

The supply deluge and volatility this year have pressured investment-grade AI corporate bonds, which have been trading at a large premium to the rest of the market.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 6, 2026

During World War I, Monet pressured Étienne Clémentel, the minister of commerce and industry, to obtain coal, gasoline and permission for Monet to retain the use of his own car.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 6, 2026

Papa John’s has been working to turn around its business, as sales have been pressured by a softer consumer backdrop and a flood of deals from fast-food rivals.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 5, 2026

Celia listened some more and then laughed, the sound pressured and fake.

From "When Dimple Met Rishi" by Sandhya Menon

Concerns about the rising costs of the massive artificial-intelligence buildout, and whether all that spending will pay off, have been pressuring chip stocks that powered the broader market higher for most of 2026.

From MarketWatch ● Nov. 9, 2026

Rising inflation has cemented expectations that the Bank of England will hike its benchmark interest rate next month, further pressuring Britons holding loans, including mortgages.

From Barron's ● Oct. 28, 2026

Ziaire Williams set the tone of the Lakers’ new defensive style, pressuring the ball the full length of the court and injecting energy into his teammates.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 15, 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

“After the way Rachel was pressuring me, I didn’t think I would ever tell anyone ever again. But when your post went up, I should have told you. Maybe I could have helped. Deleted it.”

From "Bye Forever, I Guess" by Jodi Meadows

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