Synonyms

pressurize

American

[presh-uh-rahyz] / ˈprɛʃ əˌraɪz /

especially British, pressurise

verb (used with object)

pressurized, pressurizing

to raise the internal atmospheric pressure of to the required or desired level.

to pressurize an astronaut's spacesuit before a walk in space.
to maintain normal air pressure in (the cockpit or cabin of an airplane) at high altitudes.
to apply pressure to (a gas or liquid); supercharge.
to pressure-cook.

pressurize British

/ ˈprɛʃəˌraɪz /

verb

to increase the pressure in (an enclosure, such as an aircraft cabin) in order to maintain approximately atmospheric pressure when the external pressure is low
to increase pressure on (a fluid)
to make insistent demands of (someone); coerce

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Other Word Forms

pressurization noun
pressurizer noun
repressurize verb

Etymology

Origin of pressurize

First recorded in 1940–45; pressure + -ize

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023