squeeze Definition
squeeze (skwēz)
transitive verb squeezed, squeez′·ing
- to press hard or closely; exert pressure on, esp. from two or more sides; compress
- to press in order to extract liquid, juice, etc. to squeeze oranges
- to get, bring forth, or extract by pressure to squeeze water from a sponge
- to force (into, out, through, etc.) by or as by pressing
- to get, extract, or extort by force or unfair means
- to oppress with exactions, burdensome taxes, etc.
- to put pressure or bring influence to bear upon (someone) to do a certain thing, as to pay money, etc.
- to embrace closely; hug
- ☆ Baseball to score (a run) or cause (a runner) to score by a squeeze play
- ☆ Bridge to force (an opponent) to discard a potentially winning card
Etymology: intens. of ME queisen < OE cwysan, to squeeze, dash against, bruise, akin to Goth quistjan, to destroy < IE base *gweye-, to overpower > Sans jināti, (he) conquers
intransitive verb
- to yield or give way to pressure a wet sponge squeezes easily
- to exert pressure
- to force one's way by pushing or pressing (in, out, through, etc.)
noun
- a squeezing or being squeezed; hard or close pressure
- a close embrace; hug
- a firm pressing or grasping of another's hand in one's own
- the state of being closely pressed or packed; crush
- a period or situation marked by scarcity, hardship, insecurity, etc.
- a facsimile impression made by pressing a soft substance onto something, as a coin or inscription
- a quantity of something extracted by squeezing
- Informal pressure or influence brought to bear, as in extortion
- ☆ squeeze play
- Slang a sweetheart or lover: used esp. in the expression main squeeze
squeeze Related Forms
squeeze Idioms
squeeze through
or squeeze byInformal to succeed, survive, get through, etc. by a narrow margin or with difficulty
squeeze Synonyms
squeeze
n.
put the squeeze on*
squeeze Synonyms
squeeze
v.
squeeze Usage Examples
Object
- juice: Slice bananas and squeeze lemon juice over them, toss to ensure they are coated.
- ounce: Tho I'd hardly call the work being done to squeeze the last ounce of performance out of the mice trivial.
- lemon: Fluids to support the liver Lemon water add a freshly squeezed lemon to a glass of hot water.
- trigger: The " jaws " of the clamp meter are opened by squeezing the trigger on the left-hand side.
- penny: It is an orphan specification, the prime justification is squeezing the last penny out of the cost of modem hardware.
- quart: In effect we tried to squeeze a quart out of a pint pot.
Preposition: on
margin: With similar price declines expected, the squeeze on profit margins looks set to continue.
Preposition: through
boulder: At the bottom a squeeze through a boulder choke drops you at the top of a 70 feet high passage.
Preposition: over
juice: Place in a bowl and sprinkle on the sugar, squeeze over the lemon juice of half a lemon and set aside.
Adjective modifier
- tight: Between Worlds Passage continues for 10m to a large step over or tight squeeze around a hole in the floor.
- awkward: To be perfectly honest, I didn't actually think we would get beyond the awkward calcite squeeze near the entrance.
- coastal: Coastal squeeze occurs where fixed sea defenses prevent the natural migration of saltmarsh inland as estuaries become subject to sea level rise.
- gentle: Some deafblind people may need a stronger indication, perhaps a gentle squeeze of the wrist, but check with them.
Modifies a noun
stile: Follow the road round past a pond, then turn left through a parallel bar squeeze stile onto a woodland path.
Modifying Another Word
freshly: Fluids to support the liver Lemon water add a freshly squeezed lemon to a glass of hot water.
Followed by an intransitive particle
- through: However, when Pete squeezed through to the last safe haven before the choke, we heard laughter peel out.
- out: Any reaction has to be squeezed out of them.
Preposition: of
- lemon: Jane Grigson recommends adding chopped salad onion and a squeeze of lemon plus some more chopped herbs.
- juice: She suggests a better option may be a large glass of iced water with a squeeze of lemon juice.
Noun used with modifier
margin: On the key issue of the alleged margin squeeze against rivals we found BSkyB to be around the borderline of anti-competitive behavior.
Browse dictionary entries near squeeze
- ‹ squeegee
- ‹ squeamish
- ‹ squeal
- ‹ squeaky-clean
- ‹ squeaker
- ‹ squeak through
- ‹ squeak
- ‹ squawroot
- ‹ squawk box
- ‹ squawk
- squeeze bottle ›
- squeeze play ›
- squeeze through ›
- squeezebox ›
- squelch ›
- squelch circuit ›
- squeteague ›
- squib ›
- squid ›
- squiffy ›

