pressure cooker
noun
1
: an airtight utensil for quick cooking or preserving of foods by means of high-temperature steam under pressure
2
: a situation or environment that is fraught with emotional or social pressures
pressure-cook verb
Example Sentences
The new boss has turned the office into a pressure cooker.
Recent Examples on the Web Bayley talks at length about feeling like everyone was in a pressure cooker for that year plus without shows, just heating up, waiting to finally let loose, dance and sing once again. 
Steven Edelstone, Billboard, 16 Aug. 2022 That has simply turned up the heat in the pressure cooker. New York Times, 8 Feb. 2022 Choose how long this recipe takes with our instructions to make it in the slow cooker or pressure cooker. Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 31 Aug. 2022 That’s the trap set for Emily more than once in this minor pressure cooker of a movie. K. Austin Collins, Rolling Stone, 15 Aug. 2022 The Michelin-star chef strives to fix the frenetic pressure cooker of a restaurant while coming to terms with his late brother's death. Jacqueline Saguin, Good Housekeeping, 6 Aug. 2022 Luckily for him, someone will be with Scheffler every step of the way, someone who has taken a few rides around the pressure cooker that is a final round with a Masters win at stake. Tim Reynolds, ajc, 10 Apr. 2022 Many of us have relied on our pets to brighten our moods and ease tension during the steaming pressure cooker of the past two years. Sandee Lamotte, CNN, 3 Mar. 2022 The electric pressure cooker gets them nice and tender while the grill brings the flavorful char. Mackenzie Chung Fegan, Bon Appétit, 13 July 2022 See More
Steven Edelstone, Billboard, 16 Aug. 2022 That has simply turned up the heat in the pressure cooker. New York Times, 8 Feb. 2022 Choose how long this recipe takes with our instructions to make it in the slow cooker or pressure cooker. Sarah Martens, Better Homes & Gardens, 31 Aug. 2022 That’s the trap set for Emily more than once in this minor pressure cooker of a movie. K. Austin Collins, Rolling Stone, 15 Aug. 2022 The Michelin-star chef strives to fix the frenetic pressure cooker of a restaurant while coming to terms with his late brother's death. Jacqueline Saguin, Good Housekeeping, 6 Aug. 2022 Luckily for him, someone will be with Scheffler every step of the way, someone who has taken a few rides around the pressure cooker that is a final round with a Masters win at stake. Tim Reynolds, ajc, 10 Apr. 2022 Many of us have relied on our pets to brighten our moods and ease tension during the steaming pressure cooker of the past two years. Sandee Lamotte, CNN, 3 Mar. 2022 The electric pressure cooker gets them nice and tender while the grill brings the flavorful char. Mackenzie Chung Fegan, Bon Appétit, 13 July 2022 See More Word History
First Known Use
1915, in the meaning defined at sense 1