pressure cooker

American  

Or pressure-cooker

noun

1. a reinforced pot, usually of steel or aluminum, in which soups, meats, vegetables, etc., may be cooked quickly in heat above boiling point by steam maintained under pressure.

2. any situation, job, assignment, etc., in which a person is faced with urgent responsibilities or demands by other people, constant deadlines, or a hectic work schedule.

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pressure cooker British  

noun

1. a strong hermetically sealed pot in which food may be cooked quickly under pressure at a temperature above the normal boiling point of water

2. informal a trainee student attending a shortened qualifying course

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Etymology

Origin of pressure cooker

First recorded in 1910–15

Example Sentences

He said schools had become "a pressure cooker", adding the survey of its members "paints a picture of a system under severe strain".

From BBC • Apr. 30, 2026

This year’s UConn team shows just how well a team can respond when they are handpicked for his pressure cooker.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 3, 2026

Tax preparation is a seasonal business — and a hectic pressure cooker.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 13, 2026

Now, they are about to enter the pressure cooker again.

From BBC • Sep. 29, 2025

The women were cooking and I could smell onions frying already, could hear the phht-phht of a pressure cooker, music, laughter.

From "The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini