pressure

1 of 2

noun

pres·​sure ˈpre-shər How to pronounce pressure (audio)
1
a
: the burden of physical or mental distress
b
: the constraint of circumstance : the weight of social or economic imposition
2
: the application of force to something by something else in direct contact with it : compression
3
archaic : impression, stamp
4
a
: the action of a force against an opposing force
b
: the force or thrust exerted over a surface divided by its area
5
: the stress or urgency of matters demanding attention : exigency
people who work well under pressure
6
: the force of selection that results from one or more agents and tends to reduce a population of organisms
population pressure
predation pressure
7
: the pressure exerted in every direction by the weight of the atmosphere
8
: a sensation aroused by moderate compression of a body part or surface
pressureless adjective

pressure

2 of 2

verb

pressured; pressuring ˈpre-sh(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce pressure (audio)

transitive verb

1
: to apply pressure to
2
3
: to cook in a pressure cooker

Examples of pressure in a Sentence

Noun Apply pressure to the wound to stop the bleeding. the pressure of the compressed air inside the chamber The animal's jaws can exert a pressure of more than 750 pounds per square inch. The horse will respond to the slightest pressure of a rider's knee. The fruit yields to gentle pressure when it's ripe. the normal air pressure at sea level He gave in to the social pressures to act and dress like everybody else. She felt a constant pressure to earn more money. Verb his father pressured him to go out for the swim team
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
These offerings are designed to alleviate staffing pressures and improve patient flow through smart, flexible partnerships with hospitals and health systems responding to clinical workforce shortages. Sacramento Bee, 5 Mar. 2024 Doing that puts a lot of pressure on the rest of this K-State team that can struggle to score overall. Shreyas Laddha, Kansas City Star, 5 Mar. 2024 Their plans kept changing (the bride was under a bit of pressure from her future mother-in-law), and the wedding was eventually held at a larger venue with 50 guests from both sides of the family, many of whom traveled to be there. Jacobina Martin, Washington Post, 4 Mar. 2024 These include studying the effects of microgravity and UV radiation on plants, using stem cells to create models to study degenerative disease and testing whether wearing pressure cuffs on the legs could prevent fluid shifts and reduce health problems in astronauts. Russell Lewis, NPR, 4 Mar. 2024 Keep in mind that Williams yielded just one sack and six pressures in 280 pass blocking snaps over nine games. Barry Jackson, Miami Herald, 4 Mar. 2024 Historically found on Indiana’s prairie lands thanks to pressure from wolves, coyotes expanded their range after European colonizers killed all of Indiana’s wolf populations in the early 1900s. Karl Schneider, The Indianapolis Star, 4 Mar. 2024 By that time, all independent media was coming under increasing pressure as Hun and his Cambodia People's Party tightened their grip on power and sought to silence most critics. Sopheng Cheang The Associated Press, arkansasonline.com, 3 Mar. 2024 The team’s inability to get anything at all going in the rushing game put way too much pressure on quarterback Baker Mayfield, which in turn stressed the Tampa Bay offense beyond repair. Lorenzo Reyes, USA TODAY, 23 Feb. 2024
Verb
The stock was further pressured Friday after Fitch Ratings downgraded NYCB’s debt to junk status and Moody’s Investors Service lowered its rating further into junk territory. Nicole Goodkind, CNN, 6 Mar. 2024 Perhaps, without a war to rally the faithful, the Houthis could be pressured toward compromise and consensus. Robert F. Worth, The Atlantic, 5 Mar. 2024 After being hailed for revolutionizing television and pumping out content as if there was no tomorrow, streaming sites also are losing subscribers and being pressured by Wall Street to turn a profit as soon as possible, not somewhere down the road. Julie Hinds, Detroit Free Press, 4 Mar. 2024 Institutional investors are pressuring Japanese companies to add more women to their boards. Emma Hinchliffe, Fortune, 4 Mar. 2024 This success has pressured competitors like Meta Platforms and Samsung, a long-time rival of Apple in various product categories. Charlie Fink, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 Authorities had pressured the family to avoid a public funeral, according to his mother. Francesca ebel, Washington Post, 1 Mar. 2024 This is the result of a campaign led by Arab-American activists to use the ballot box to pressure Biden to call for a cease-fire in Gaza. USA TODAY, 28 Feb. 2024 And an intense lobbying effort by the Air Force and major arms contractors designed to pressure his administration into building a costly new nuclear bomber was one of the primary reasons that President Dwight D. Eisenhower warned of the dangers of the military-industrial complex. William Hartung, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pressure.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin pressura, from Latin, action of pressing, pressure, from pressus, past participle of premere

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1938, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of pressure was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near pressure

Cite this Entry

“Pressure.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pressure. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

pressure

1 of 2 noun
pres·​sure ˈpresh-ər How to pronounce pressure (audio)
1
: a force or influence that cannot be avoided
social pressure
2
: the application of force to something by something else in direct contact with it
keep steady pressure on the gas pedal
3
a
: the action of a force against an opposing force
b
: the force applied over a surface divided by its area
c
: the force exerted as a result of the weight of the atmosphere
4
: the stress or burden of matters demanding attention
works well under pressure

pressure

2 of 2 verb
pressured; pressuring ˈpresh-(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce pressure (audio)
1
: to apply pressure to
2

Medical Definition

pressure

noun
pres·​sure ˈpresh-ər How to pronounce pressure (audio)
1
: the burden of mental or physical distress especially from grief, illness, or adversity
2
: the application of force to something by something else in direct contact with it : compression
3
a
: the action of a force against some opposing force : a force in the nature of a thrust distributed over a surface
b
: the force or thrust exerted over a surface divided by the area of the surface
4
5
6
: a touch sensation aroused by moderate compression of the skin

More from Merriam-Webster on pressure

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