squeeze

[ skweez ]

/ skwiz /

SEE SYNONYMS FOR squeeze 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.

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

SYNONYMS FOR squeeze

4 crowd, pack, jam, stuff.

SEE SYNONYMS FOR squeeze ON THESAURUS.COM

OTHER WORDS FROM squeeze

squeez·er, noun squeez·ing·ly, adverb in·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, squeeze off, squeeze play, squeeze through, squeeze-box

Example sentences from the Web for squeeze

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
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
Once again Russia brandishes the threat of a gas cutoff to squeeze Kiev and coerce Europe.

In Ukraine, Winter Is Coming |Anna Nemtsova |September 23, 2014 |DAILY BEAST

That backpack was strictly for however many CDs I could squeeze in there.

How Questlove Is Bringing Music Back to Television |Kevin Fallon |July 23, 2014 |DAILY BEAST
Then Mamie let Maggie squeeze; but she pinched harder than Bessie had done, and hurt it a little.

Bessie at the Sea-Side |Joanna Mathews
Like the water which he's going to squeeze out of the wells?

The Younger Set |Robert W. Chambers
Only, while we are travelling, do be careful not to squeeze too tightly; it rumples her stock.

Amy in Acadia |Helen Leah Reed
Squeeze out the amount needed and store the lemon in the ice-box.

Foods That Will Win The War And How To Cook Them (1918) |C. Houston Goudiss and Alberta M. Goudiss
This is pressed, to squeeze all the water out, and is left to dry.

Appletons' Popular Science Monthly, January 1900 |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 reassurance he squeezed her hand

to push or force in a confined space to 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 squeezing add 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, adjective squeezer, noun

Word Origin for squeeze

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

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

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

squeeze

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

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

noun

Origin of squeeze

SYNONYMS FOR squeeze

OTHER WORDS FROM squeeze

Words nearby squeeze

Example sentences from the Web for squeeze

British Dictionary definitions for squeeze

verb (mainly tr)

noun

Derived forms of squeeze

Word Origin for squeeze

Idioms and Phrases with squeeze

BROWSE DICTIONARY

Learning

squeeze

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

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

noun

Origin of squeeze

SYNONYMS FOR squeeze

OTHER WORDS FROM squeeze

Words nearby squeeze

Words related to squeeze

Example sentences from the Web for squeeze

(adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []) .push({}); British Dictionary definitions for squeeze

verb (mainly tr)

noun

Derived forms of squeeze

Word Origin for squeeze

Idioms and Phrases with squeeze

British Dictionary definitions for squeeze