pressure
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: P: Compare 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.
to force (someone) toward a particular end; influence: They pressured him into accepting the contract.
Origin of pressure
1Other words from pressure
- pres·sure·less, adjective
- in·ter·pres·sure, adjective
- non·pres·sure, noun, adverb
- su·per·pres·sure, noun, adjective
- un·der·pres·sure, noun
- un·pres·sured, adjective
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use pressure in a sentence
In stepping into the solo CEO role, the 33-year-old Tenev will be under considerable pressure to show Robinhood is built for the long term—pressure that will only increase once the company goes public.
Robinhood co-founder steps down as co-CEO, leaving Vlad Tenev as sole chief ahead of a rumored IPO | Jeff | November 20, 2020 | FortuneFritillaria delavayi from regions that experience greater harvesting pressure are more camouflaged than those from less harvested areas, researchers report November 20 in Current Biology.
These plants seem like they’re trying to hide from people | Jonathan Lambert | November 20, 2020 | Science NewsExecutives are free to sell, and they’re not under any pressure whatsoever to deliver results.
IPOs, SPACs, and direct listings: Silicon Valley opens the doors to more investors | matthewheimer | November 20, 2020 | FortuneAll of these factors could put pressure on Clayton’s Democratic successor.
The U.S. is pushing ahead with its threat to delist Chinese companies | Claire Zillman, reporter | November 18, 2020 | FortuneOne media buyer noted that much of the near-term planning is dependent on brands having the necessary data to be able to change course on a dime and that the shift in mindset could put pressure on data and reporting teams.
‘Moving to a new mentality’: Marketers, media buyers focus on near-term planning to continue for the foreseeable future | Kristina Monllos | November 11, 2020 | Digiday
So much of what is considered “romantic” is actually inappropriate, pressuring, or unnerving.
It was himself, and only himself, Coltrane kept pressuring to hear more, feel more, understand more, communicate more.
Next target: Pressuring Federal Express to remove its name from the stadium.
So Redskins Sponsor FedEx Is OK With That Racist Team Name, Too? | Michael Tomasky | June 20, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTSometimes this amounts to nothing more than pressuring friends into listening to a song we desperately love.
The ‘SNL’ Race Controversy: Why Leslie Jones Can Say What She Likes | Phoebe Robinson | May 6, 2014 | THE DAILY BEASTExpect a movement pressuring CBS to rename it “The David Letterman Theater,” but then, that would be mean to Ed.
You're holding our radioactives off the market, pressuring the government for a price rise which it can't afford.
Medal of Honor | Dallas McCord ReynoldsFive is somewhat better, the sky is pressuring evening and, by six, is big with shadows that foresee the coming dark.
The Land of Look Behind | Paul Cameron BrownI hope you didn't think I was probing into your personal affairs or pressuring you too severely.
Warren Commission (8 of 26): Hearings Vol. VIII (of 15) | The President's Commission on the Assassination of President KennedyBut they kept pressuring him to give up his citizenship to be able to work in Russia, get working papers.
Warren Commission (11 of 26): Hearings Vol. XI (of 15) | The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy
British Dictionary definitions for pressure
/ (ˈprɛʃə) /
the state of pressing or being pressed
the exertion of force by one body on the surface of another
a moral force that compels: to bring pressure to bear
an urgent claim or demand or series of urgent claims or demands: to work under pressure
a burdensome condition that is hard to bear: the 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 atmospheres: Symbol: p, P
short for atmospheric pressure, blood pressure
(tr) to constrain or compel, as by the application of moral force
another word for pressurize
Origin of pressure
1Derived forms of pressure
- pressureless, adjective
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
Scientific definitions for 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.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Cultural definitions for pressure
The force exerted on a given area. (See atmospheric pressure.)
Notes for pressure
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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