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

Examples of pressure cooker in a Sentence

The new boss has turned the office into a pressure cooker.

Recent Examples on the Web

For the better part of the 2010s, Tesla was battered by analysts and short sellers that created a pressure cooker environment under which the company needed to scale up production of its mass market cars. — Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 24 June 2026

Early Prime Day kitchen deals include savings on the Instant Pot pressure cooker, Ninja CREAMi ice cream maker, Breville Barista Express espresso machine and much more. — ABC News, 19 June 2026

The pressure cooker of veterinary school, combined with my disconnection from nature and from the people who loved me and knew me best, left me increasingly isolated, lonely and depleted. — Brad Ryan, PEOPLE, 13 June 2026

Steaming eggs is the best cooking method for easy peeling, but stovetop boiling, pressure cookers, and ovens also work. — Katlyn Moncada, Better Homes & Gardens, 5 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1915, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for pressure cooker

• booker
• looker
• rooker
• snooker
• onlooker

Kids Definition

pressure cooker

noun

: a utensil for cooking or preserving foods by means of steam under pressure

pressure-cook

ˌpresh-ər-ˈku̇k

verb