squeeze

[ skweez ]

/ skwiz /

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See synonyms for: squeeze / squeezed / squeezing on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), squeezed, squeez·ing.

to press forcibly together; compress.

to apply pressure to in order to extract juice, sap, or the like: to squeeze an orange.

to force out, extract, or procure by pressure: to squeeze juice from an orange.

to thrust forcibly; force by pressure; cram: to squeeze three suits into a small suitcase.

to fit into a small or crowded space or timespan: The doctor will try to squeeze you in between appointments.

to enclose (another person's hand, arm, etc.) in one's hand and apply pressure as a token of affection, friendship, sympathy, or the like: His father squeezed his hand and wished him luck.

to give (someone) a hug.

to threaten, intimidate, harass, or oppress (a person) in order to obtain a favor, money, or an advantageous attitude or action.

to cause financial hardship to: manufacturers squeezed by high tariffs.

to obtain a facsimile impression of.

to cause to merge, as two or more lines of traffic into fewer lanes.

Baseball.

to enable (a runner on third base) to score on a squeeze play (often followed by in): He squeezed him in with a perfect bunt.
to score (a run) in this way (often followed by in): The Dodgers squeezed in a run in the eighth inning.

Bridge. to force (an opponent) to play a potentially winning card on a trick he or she cannot win.

verb (used without object), squeezed, squeez·ing.

to exert a compressing force.

to force a way through some narrow or crowded place (usually followed by through, in, out, etc.).

to merge or come together.

noun

the act or fact of squeezing or the fact of being squeezed.

a clasping of one's hand around another's hand, arm, etc., as a token of affection, friendship, sympathy, or the like.

a hug or close embrace.

a troubled financial condition, especially caused by a shortage or restriction, as of credit or funds.

a small quantity or amount of anything obtained by squeezing.

squeak (def. 3).

Slang. a sweetheart: his main squeeze.

a facsimile impression of an inscription or the like, obtained by pressing some plastic substance over or around it.

squeeze play.

Bridge. a play or circumstance whereby an opponent is forced to waste or discard a potentially winning card.

an act of threatening, intimidating, harassing, or oppressing a person or persons to obtain a favor, money, or an advantageous attitude or action: gangsters putting the squeeze on small businesses.

money or a favor obtained in such a way.

OTHER WORDS FOR squeeze

4 crowd, pac, jam, stuff.

See synonyms for squeeze on Thesaurus.com

QUIZ

CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

There are grammar debates that never die; and the ones highlighted in the questions in this quiz are sure to rile everyone up once again. Do you know how to answer the questions that cause some of the greatest grammar debates?

Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of squeeze

1590–1600; perhaps variant of obsolete squize (Old English cwȳsan) to squeeze, with initial s by false division of words in sandhi

OTHER WORDS FROM squeeze

squeezer, nounsqueez·ing·ly, adverbin·ter·squeeze, verb (used with object), in·ter·squeezed, in·ter·squeez·ing.un·squeezed, adjective

Words nearby squeeze

squeal, squeamish, squee, squeegee, squeezable, squeeze, squeeze bottle, squeezebox, squeezed joint, squeeze off, squeeze play

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use squeeze in a sentence

The simple, five-position knob allows you to adjust the squeeze pressure, and the unit comes with two different screens, coarse and fine.
These pieces of kitchen gear make excellent gifts|PopSci Commerce Team|October 6, 2020|Popular-Science
My research has shown that there is more to marriage trafficking than the “marriage squeeze” and female scarcity.
Three Women: Stories Of Indian Trafficked Brides|LGBTQ-Editor|October 5, 2020|No Straight News
Tens of millions of people have lost work, putting a squeeze on finances.
Cord cutting is breaking records during the pandemic|Aaron Pressman|September 21, 2020|Fortune
For publishers that have numerous direct relationships with brands, that squeeze hasn’t been all bad.
‘They’re gonna go with what they know’: Publishers struggle to win new business amid pandemic|Max Willens|September 1, 2020|Digiday

In China, for example, food inflation has been accelerating in the last couple of months, and a squeeze on imports because of the pandemic is one reason why.
After $20 trillion in pandemic relief spending, there’s still no sign of inflation. What happened?|Bernhard Warner|August 25, 2020|Fortune
They wanted Jet Blue to squeeze more passengers into the cabin.
Flying Coach Is the New Hell: How Airlines Engineer You Out of Room|Clive Irving|November 25, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Between her slew of appointments, Lennox manages to squeeze in enough time for no less than 40 different charities.
Annie Lennox Doesn’t Give a Damn What You Think|Itay Hod|October 21, 2014|DAILY BEAST
His wife, Rita, would wait and pray until she would hear the bicycle squeeze horn he had affixed to the chair.
How Brooklyn’s First Ice Cream Girl Fought City Hall–and Won|Michael Daly|October 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Bone was a highly competent managing editor, and contrived somehow to squeeze us into the tumultuous Post office.
The Stacks: H.L. Mencken on the 1904 Baltimore Fire|H.L. Mencken|October 4, 2014|DAILY BEAST
You might expect prisoners to have to pay extra for items like habanero squeeze cheese, for example, but what about pen and paper?
‘Progressive Jail’ Is a 21st-Century Hell, Inmates Complain|Sarah Shourd|September 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
As long as an emergency truck could squeeze through at moderate speed, that was enough.
Fee of the Frontier|Horace Brown Fyfe
From this point Mr Dean began to pump and squeeze, and Trumps proved worthy of his name in the way he submitted to both processes.
The Garret and the Garden|R.M. Ballantyne
In this day there were some drops of the golden juices—some drops that she must squeeze out, that her thirsty lips must drink.
Bella Donna|Robert Hichens
She would squeeze, squeeze out the golden juices that these moments contained which lay immediately before her.
Bella Donna|Robert Hichens
It was rather a tight squeeze for his broad shoulders, getting through the opening, but he managed it.
Hooded Detective, Volume III No. 2, January, 1942|Various

British Dictionary definitions for squeeze

squeeze

/ (skwiːz) /

verb (mainly tr)

to grip or press firmly, esp so as to crush or distort; compress

to crush or press (something) so as to extract (a liquid)to squeeze the juice from an orange; to squeeze an orange

to apply gentle pressure to, as in affection or reassurancehe squeezed her hand

to push or force in a confined spaceto squeeze six lettuces into one box; to squeeze through a crowd

to hug closely

to oppress with exacting demands, such as excessive taxes

to exert pressure on (someone) in order to extort (something): to squeeze money out of a victim by blackmail

(intr) to yield under pressure

to make an impression of (a coin, etc) in a soft substance

bridge whist to lead a card that forces (opponents) to discard potentially winning cards

noun

the act or an instance of squeezing or of being squeezed

a hug or handclasp

a crush of people in a confined space

mainly British a condition of restricted credit imposed by a government to counteract price inflation

an impression, esp of a coin, etc, made in a soft substance

an amount extracted by squeezingadd a squeeze of lemon juice

commerce any action taken by a trader or traders on a market that forces buyers to make purchases and prices to rise

informal pressure brought to bear in order to extort something (esp in the phrase put the squeeze on)

Also called: squeeze play bridge whist a manoeuvre that forces opponents to discard potentially winning cards

informal a person with whom one is having a romantic relationship

Derived forms of squeeze

squeezable, adjectivesqueezer, noun

Word Origin for squeeze

C16: from Middle English queysen to press, from Old English cwӯsan

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

Other Idioms and Phrases with squeeze

squeeze

In addition to the idioms beginning with squeeze

squeeze off
squeeze play
squeeze through

also see:

main squeeze
put the arm (squeeze) on
tight squeeze

squeeze

OTHER WORDS FOR squeeze

Origin of squeeze

OTHER WORDS FROM squeeze

Words nearby squeeze

Words related to squeeze

How to use squeeze in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for squeeze

Derived forms of squeeze

Word Origin for squeeze

Other Idioms and Phrases with squeeze