printing press

American  

noun

• printing presses
  plural

1. a machine, as a cylinder press or rotary press, for printing on paper or the like from type, plates, etc.

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printing press British  

noun

1. any of various machines used for printing

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• printing presses
  plural

Etymology

Origin of printing press

First recorded in 1580–90

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

printing press

It may ultimately belong in a category closer to nuclear technology than to the printing press, electricity or the internet.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

Viktoria Haidai surveys the mangled remains of the printing press, which should have been busy churning out textbooks ready for the new school year.

From BBC ● Aug. 31, 2026

And the media landscape now centers on the internet and social media rather than a printing press.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 26, 2026

AUSTIN, Texas—Steps away from an old printing press, a fleet of industrial robots and dozens of workers assemble the building blocks of what a highflying startup hopes will be America’s next big power company.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 3, 2026

For an apple pie that can last for generations, you need the printing press and the Industrial Revolution and maybe even a poem.

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