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, pac, jam, stuff.
SEE SYNONYMS FOR squeeze ON THESAURUS.COM
OTHER WORDS FROM squeeze
squeezer,nounsqueez·ing·ly,adverbin·ter·squeeze,verb (used with object),in·ter·squeezed,in·ter·squeez·ing.un·squeezed,adjective
The simple, five-position knob allows you to adjust the squeeze pressure, and the unit comes with two different screens, coarse and fine.
These pieces of kitchen gear make excellent gifts|PopSci Commerce Team|October 6, 2020|Popular Science
My research has shown that there is more to marriage trafficking than the “marriage squeeze” and female scarcity.
Three Women: Stories Of Indian Trafficked Brides|LGBTQ-Editor|October 5, 2020|No Straight News
Tens of millions of people have lost work, putting a squeeze on finances.
Cord cutting is breaking records during the pandemic|Aaron Pressman|September 21, 2020|Fortune
For publishers that have numerous direct relationships with brands, that squeeze hasn’t been all bad.
‘They’re gonna go with what they know’: Publishers struggle to win new business amid pandemic|Max Willens|September 1, 2020|Digiday
In China, for example, food inflation has been accelerating in the last couple of months, and a squeeze on imports because of the pandemic is one reason why.
After $20 trillion in pandemic relief spending, there’s still no sign of inflation. What happened?|Bernhard Warner|August 25, 2020|Fortune
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 reassurancehe squeezed her hand
to push or force in a confined spaceto 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
bridgewhistto 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
mainlyBritisha 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 squeezingadd a squeeze of lemon juice
commerceany action taken by a trader or traders on a market that forces buyers to make purchases and prices to rise
informalpressure brought to bear in order to extort something (esp in the phrase put the squeeze on)
Also called: squeeze playbridgewhista manoeuvre that forces opponents to discard potentially winning cards
informala person with whom one is having a romantic relationship
Derived forms of squeeze
squeezable, adjectivesqueezer, noun
Word Origin for squeeze
C16: from Middle English queysen to press, from Old English cwӯsan