Main Entry: ¹press

Pronunciation: \ˈpres\

Function: noun

Etymology: Middle English presse, from Anglo-French, from presser to press

Date: 13th century

1 a : a crowd or crowded condition : throng b : a thronging or crowding forward or together
2 a : an apparatus or machine by which a substance is cut or shaped, an impression of a body is taken, a material is compressed, pressure is applied to a body, liquid is expressed, or a cutting tool is fed into the work by pressure b : a building containing presses or a business using presses
3 : closet, cupboard
4 a : an action of pressing or pushing : pressure b : an aggressive pressuring defense employed in basketball often over the entire court area
5 : the properly smoothed and creased condition of a freshly pressed garment <out of press>
6 a : printing press b : the act or the process of printing c : a printing or publishing establishment
7 a : the gathering and publishing or broadcasting of news : journalism b : newspapers, periodicals, and often radio and television news broadcasting c : news reporters, publishers, and broadcasters d : comment or notice in newspapers and periodicals <is getting a good press>
8 : any of various pressure devices (as one for keeping sporting gear from warping when not in use)
9 : a lift in weight lifting in which the weight is raised to shoulder height and then smoothly extended overhead without assist from the legs — compare clean and jerk, snatch