squeeze through

Idioms  

1. 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.

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Example Sentences

The lane was about 500 feet wide, just enough for a supertanker to squeeze through.

From The Wall Street Journal • May 8, 2026

But bighorn — with their broad, curved horns — can’t squeeze through.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 1, 2026

But who takes care of what gets complicated quickly, and that helps explain why so many outbreaks seem to squeeze through the cracks.

From Salon • Aug. 15, 2024

Dean, who finished with 2-28, trapped White Ferns captain Sophie Devine lbw and that meant England could squeeze through their spin trio of Dean, Glenn and Smith and push the required run-rate up.

From BBC • Mar. 22, 2024

At no point was there room for a rabbit to squeeze through.

From "I, Robot" by Isaac Asimov