squeeze
Americanverb (used with object)
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to press forcibly together; compress.
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to apply pressure to in order to extract juice, sap, or the like.
The tool is used to squeeze an orange.
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to force out, extract, or procure by pressure.
For this cocktail, first squeeze the juice from a pineapple.
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to thrust forcibly; force by pressure; cram.
I squeezed three suits into a small suitcase and now I'm afraid to unpack.
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to fit into a small or crowded space or timespan.
The doctor will try to squeeze you in between appointments.
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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.
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to give (someone) a hug.
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to threaten, intimidate, harass, or oppress (a person) in order to obtain a favor, money, or an advantageous attitude or action.
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to cause financial hardship to.
Manufacturers squeezed by high tariffs have stopped offering international shipping.
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to obtain a facsimile impression of.
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to cause to merge, as two or more lines of traffic into fewer lanes.
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Baseball.
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to enable (a runner on third base) to score on a squeeze play (often followed byin ).
He squeezed him in with a perfect bunt.
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to score (a run) in this way (often followed byin ).
The Dodgers squeezed in a run in the eighth inning.
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Bridge. to force (an opponent) to play a potentially winning card on a trick they cannot win.
verb (used without object)
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to exert a compressing force.
She took his hand and squeezed hard.
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to force one's way through some narrow or crowded place (usually followed by through, in, out, etc.).
It was so crowded we could barely squeeze through the passageway.
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to merge or come together.
noun
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the act or fact of squeezing or the fact of being squeezed.
It'll be a bit of a squeeze to get them all in the same taxi.
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a clasping of one's hand around another's hand, arm, etc., as a token of affection, friendship, sympathy, or the like.
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a hug or close embrace.
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a troubled financial condition, especially caused by a shortage or restriction, as of credit or funds.
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a small quantity or amount of anything obtained by squeezing.
It just needs a squeeze of lemon juice.
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Slang. a sweetheart.
his main squeeze.
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a facsimile impression of an inscription or the like, obtained by pressing some plastic substance over or around it.
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Bridge. a play or circumstance whereby an opponent is forced to waste or discard a potentially winning card.
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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.
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money or a favor obtained in such a way.
verb
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to grip or press firmly, esp so as to crush or distort; compress
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to crush or press (something) so as to extract (a liquid)
to squeeze the juice from an orange
to squeeze an orange
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to apply gentle pressure to, as in affection or reassurance
he squeezed her hand
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to push or force in a confined space
to squeeze six lettuces into one box
to squeeze through a crowd
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to hug closely
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to oppress with exacting demands, such as excessive taxes
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to exert pressure on (someone) in order to extort (something): to squeeze money out of a victim by blackmail
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(intr) to yield under pressure
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to make an impression of (a coin, etc) in a soft substance
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bridge whist to lead a card that forces (opponents) to discard potentially winning cards
noun
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the act or an instance of squeezing or of being squeezed
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a hug or handclasp
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a crush of people in a confined space
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a condition of restricted credit imposed by a government to counteract price inflation
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an impression, esp of a coin, etc, made in a soft substance
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an amount extracted by squeezing
add a squeeze of lemon juice
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commerce any action taken by a trader or traders on a market that forces buyers to make purchases and prices to rise
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informal pressure brought to bear in order to extort something (esp in the phrase put the squeeze on )
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Also called: squeeze play. bridge whist a manoeuvre that forces opponents to discard potentially winning cards
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informal a person with whom one is having a romantic relationship
Other Word Forms
- intersqueeze verb (used with object)
- squeezable adjective
- squeezer noun
- squeezingly adverb
- unsqueezed adjective
Etymology
Origin of squeeze
First recorded in 1590–1600; perhaps variant of obsolete squize ( Old English cwȳsan ) “to squeeze,” with initial s by false division of words in a closely joined phrase
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
