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

Etymology

Origin of pressure

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

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

Brasher and Cruz kept the pressure on during the second match, pulling ahead early 8-6 and leading by as much as 17-12 before closing out the victory.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026

Qatar has been a key mediator in the latest round of talks between the U.S. and Iran aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz in exchange for an easing of American economic pressure.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 16, 2026

That’s 510,000 barrels a day more than its last monthly prediction in July, as elevated fuel prices are putting further downward pressure on oil use.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 16, 2026

So strengthening your muscles, including through exercises such as weightlifting, helps to reduce the pressure placed on your joints.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 16, 2026

Christopher’s stomach lurched and he kicked downward—the pressure tightening on his ears, the cold burning on his skin—and seized it by the back leg.

From "Impossible Creatures" by Katherine Rundell

Cost pressures and oversupply risks exist for data centers, said Willy Shih, a management practice professor at Harvard University.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026

They also highlighted immense pressures on students in India, the world's most populous nation where admission to government-run colleges remains one of the most sought-after pathways to economic security.

From Barron's ● Aug. 15, 2026

There’s little indication that purchase-price pressures will relent soon.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026

Climate change, land use pressures and drought would all have to be reckoned with.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

Colonel Gerineldo Márquez, besieged by pressures of all kinds, left his bed of a paralytic in order to persuade his former companion in arms.

From "One Hundred Years of Solitude" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

The group is calling for more funding for palliative care so "no one feels pressured to end their lives simply because they are not receiving the medical help they deserve".

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

Last week, he again pressured Pirro on Truth Social to “re-visit her hastily made decision.”

From Slate ● Aug. 13, 2026

Motorola also said it is experiencing higher memory costs as the AI investment boom pressured memory supply.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 5, 2026

“Anywhere you look, the below-average-income consumer has been pressured, and that’s a function of broader inflation,” said Brian Harbour, an equity analyst at Morgan Stanley.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 31, 2026

It means, as often as not, that someone actually went up to one of his peers and pressured him.

From "The Tipping Point" by Malcolm Gladwell

Former lightweight champion Nurmagomedov retired in 2020 having won all 29 of his fights, with a relentless pressuring style which overwhelmed his opponents.

From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026

Waning demand from buyers is in turn pressuring home prices down, and many homeowners in those regions are now selling at a loss, industry data indicate.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026

Also pressuring SpaceX shares is the reality that insiders will be allowed to sell some of their holdings shortly after the company hosts its first-ever earnings call on Aug. 4.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

Sources familiar with the operation but not authorized to speak publicly said U.S. federal agents had been in contact with Guzmán López, and were pressuring him to surrender.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 20, 2026

“I didn’t say I’d do it, sonny, don’t try pressuring a miracle man, not this one; you try pressuring me, out you go, how much money you got?”

From "The Princess Bride" by William Goldman

Related Words

• adversity
• burden
• constraint
• force
• hardship
• heat
• influence
• power
• strain
• stress
• tension
• trouble
• weight