squeeze

American  

[skweez] / skwiz /

verb (used with object)

• squeezes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• squeezed,
  past participle,  past
• squeezing
  present participle

1. to press forcibly together; compress.

2. to apply pressure to in order to extract juice, sap, or the like.

   The tool is used to squeeze an orange.

3. to force out, extract, or procure by pressure.

   For this cocktail, first squeeze the juice from a pineapple.

4. to thrust forcibly; force by pressure; cram.

   I squeezed three suits into a small suitcase and now I'm afraid to unpack.

   Synonyms:

   stuff, jam, pac, crowd

5. to fit into a small or crowded space or timespan.

   The doctor will try to squeeze you in between appointments.

6. 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.

7. to give (someone) a hug.

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

9. to cause financial hardship to.

   Manufacturers squeezed by high tariffs have stopped offering international shipping.

10. to obtain a facsimile impression of.

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

12. Baseball.

    1. to enable (a runner on third base) to score on a squeeze play (often followed byin ).

       He squeezed him in with a perfect bunt.

    2. to score (a run) in this way (often followed byin ).

       The Dodgers squeezed in a run in the eighth inning.

13. Bridge. to force (an opponent) to play a potentially winning card on a trick they cannot win.

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verb (used without object)

• squeezes,
  present (3rd person singular)
• squeezed,
  past participle,  past
• squeezing
  present participle

1. to exert a compressing force.

   She took his hand and squeezed hard.

2. to force one's way through some narrow or crowded place (usually followed by through, in, out, etc.).

   It was so crowded we could barely squeeze through the passageway.

3. to merge or come together.

noun

• squeezes
  plural

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

   It'll be a bit of a squeeze to get them all in the same taxi.

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

3. a hug or close embrace.

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

5. a small quantity or amount of anything obtained by squeezing.

   It just needs a squeeze of lemon juice.

6. squeak.

7. Slang. a sweetheart.

   his main squeeze.

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

9. squeeze play.

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

11. 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.

12. money or a favor obtained in such a way.

squeeze British  

/ skwiːz /

verb

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

2. to crush or press (something) so as to extract (a liquid)

   to squeeze the juice from an orange

   to squeeze an orange

3. to apply gentle pressure to, as in affection or reassurance

   he squeezed her hand

4. to push or force in a confined space

   to squeeze six lettuces into one box

   to squeeze through a crowd

5. to hug closely

6. to oppress with exacting demands, such as excessive taxes

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

8. (intr) to yield under pressure

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

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

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noun

1. the act or an instance of squeezing or of being squeezed

2. a hug or handclasp

3. a crush of people in a confined space

4. a condition of restricted credit imposed by a government to counteract price inflation

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

6. an amount extracted by squeezing

   add a squeeze of lemon juice

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

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

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

10. informal a person with whom one is having a romantic relationship

squeeze Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing squeeze

• main squeeze
• put the arm (squeeze) on
• tight squeeze

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• squeezer
  noun
• intersqueeze
  verb (used with object)
• squeezable
  adjective
• unsqueezed
  adjective
• squeezingly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• squeezes
  plural

Participles

• squeezing
  present
• squeezed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• squeeze
  simple
• squeezes
  simple
• have squeezed
  perfect
• has squeezed
  perfect
• am squeezing
  progressive
• are squeezing
  progressive
• is squeezing
  progressive
• have been squeezing
  perfect progressive
• has been squeezing
  perfect progressive

Past

• squeezed
  simple
• had squeezed
  perfect
• was squeezing
  progressive
• were squeezing
  progressive
• had been squeezing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will squeeze
  simple
• will have squeezed
  perfect
• will be squeezing
  progressive
• will have been squeezing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of squeeze

First recorded in 1590–1600; perhaps variant of obsolete squize ( Old English cwȳsan ) “to squeeze,” with initial s by false division of words in a closely joined phrase

Explanation

When you squeeze something, you put pressure on it. If you squeeze your toothpaste from the bottom up, you'll get the most out of your tube. The word squeeze has to do with force or pressure. When you squeeze something, like an orange, you are crushing it to extract juice. When you squeeze into a pair of jeans, you're forcing yourself into them. When you give someone a squeeze, you're giving them a tight hug. And when you're in a squeeze, you're in a tight spot, or a bind.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

squeeze squeezes squeezed squeezing

The squeeze across the global refined-product markets, where gasoline, diesel and jet fuel compete for the same refinery capacity, is pushing prices higher, The Wall Street Journal’s Giulia Petroni writes.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026

Meanwhile wages and benefits have typically been outpacing inflation this year, lessening the squeeze for many - so far.

From BBC ● Aug. 19, 2026

Analysts say the economy could cool during the July-September period as war-driven price hikes further squeeze household and corporate budgets.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026

As they were still teenagers, they were better able to squeeze through narrow spaces, crawling between concrete slabs lit only by a handheld torch or mobile phone so they could tell rescuers where to dig.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

I squeeze him as hard as I can.

From "Clairboyance" by Kristiana Kahakauwila

Anderson currently ranks fifth on the list - and Fernandez himself squeezes into the top 10 for his £107m move to Chelsea from Benfica in February 2023.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

Then there’s the K-shaped economy, which squeezes from both ends.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026

"It grips my heart and squeezes," wrote the Telegraph's Neil McCormick, external.

From BBC ● Jul. 11, 2026

Both companies have seen profits and share prices skyrocket in recent months, as frenzied demand for AI infrastructure squeezes the global supply of memory chips.

From Barron's ● Jun. 29, 2026

He squeezes my hand tighter, and we all continue to watch this family, fascinated, like they’re actors starring in a movie.

From "Zara’s Rules for Record-Breaking Fun" by Hena Khan

Alibaba stock has dropped this year as profit is squeezed by investment in artificial intelligence.

From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026

Albano, her husband and her daughter moved to Duluth, Georgia, three years ago because housing costs squeezed them out of New Jersey.

From Salon ● Aug. 18, 2026

In the past two months, actions by the Treasury Department have further squeezed Tehran’s access to revenue from oil sales and from illicit financial networks.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 17, 2026

"Imagine bending a flexible ruler, except the bend is squeezed into a space smaller than a billionth of a meter," said Sathvik Ajay Iyengar, a former Rice doctoral student and lead author of the study.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 17, 2026

It was a bright September noon when seventeen of us were squeezed around the dining room table.

From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom

"The persistent slide in vacancies is a red flag for the jobs market, suggesting labour demand is shrinking amid soaring employment and energy costs, while greater automation is also squeezing some entry-level roles."

From BBC ● Aug. 18, 2026

Instead, the humid silence is punctuated by the diesel generators, the occasional Bluetooth speaker or the tinny buzzing of a cell phone squeezing out reggaeton, reparto or US pop.

From Barron's ● Aug. 18, 2026

It is similar to squeezing a miles-long instruction manual into the head of a pin.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 13, 2026

A household energy price cap rose by 13% at the start of July and could increase again in October, squeezing purchasing power in the months to come.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 13, 2026

She wrapped her arms around Brigit, squeezing her tight.

From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton

Related Words

• clutch
• compress
• cram
• crush
• grip
• pack
• pinch
• press
• stuff
• wedge
• wring