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.
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.
Origin of squeeze
1590–1600; perhaps variant of obsolete squize (Old Englishcwȳsan) to squeeze, with initial s by false division of words in sandhi
Related formssqueez·er, nounsqueez·ing·ly, adverbin·ter·squeeze, verb (used with object),in·ter·squeezed,in·ter·squeez·ing.un·squeezed, adjective
c.1600, probably an alteration of quease (c.1550), from Old English cwysan "to squeeze," of unknown origin, perhaps imitative (cf. German quetschen "to squeeze"). Slang expression to put the squeeze on (someone or something) "exert influence" is from 1711. Baseball squeeze play first recorded 1905. Main squeeze "most important person" is attested from 1896; meaning "one's sweetheart, lover" is attested by 1980.
Also, squeeze by. Manage to pass, win, or survive by a narrow margin, as in We squeezed through the second round of playoffs, or There was just enough food stored in the cabin for us to squeeze by until the hurricane ended. This idiom uses squeeze in the sense of “succeed by means of compression.” [c. 1700] Also see squeak by.
