press

1 of 4

noun (1)

ˈpres 

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 (such 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

press

2 of 4

verb (1)

pressed; pressing; presses

transitive verb

1

: to act upon through steady pushing or thrusting force exerted in contact : squeeze

2

a

: assail, harass

b

: afflict, oppress

3

a

: to squeeze out the juice or contents of

b

: to squeeze with apparatus or instruments to a desired density, smoothness, or shape

press [=iron] a shirt

… the drained curds are generally pressed together into solid blocks of cheese.

—Caroline Campion

4

a

: to exert influence on : constrain

b

: to try hard to persuade : beseech, entreat

5

: to move by means of pressure

6

a

: to lay stress or emphasis on

b

: to insist on or request urgently

7

: to follow through (a course of action)

8

: to clasp in affection or courtesy

9

: to make (a phonograph record) from a matrix (see matrix sense 2d)

also : to make (another kind of disk, such as a CD) by a similar process

intransitive verb

1

: to crowd closely : mass

2

: to force or push one's way

3

: to seek urgently : contend

4

: to require haste or speed in action

5

: to exert pressure

6

: to take or hold a press

7

: to employ a press in basketball

press

3 of 4

verb (2)

pressed; pressing; presses

transitive verb

1

: to force into service especially in an army or navy : impress

2

a

: to take by authority especially for public use : commandeer

b

: to take and force into any usually emergency service

intransitive verb

: to impress men as soldiers or sailors

press

4 of 4

noun (2)

1

: impressment into service especially in a navy

2

obsolete : a warrant for impressing recruits

Phrases

press the flesh

: to greet and shake hands with people especially while campaigning for political office

Synonyms

Noun (1)

• closet
• cuddy
• cupboard
• pantry

Verb (1)

• bear (down on)
• depress
• shove
• weigh (on or upon)

Verb (2)

• appropriate
• arrogate
• commandeer
• convert
• expropriate
• pirate
• preempt
• seize
• take over
• usurp

Examples of press in a Sentence

Noun (1)

put the towels in the linen press

he pushed his way through the press of people outside the courthouse

originally designed as a press for clothes, it now serves to hide the bedroom TV

Verb (1)

an old doorbell that requires you to press the button hard

my family will only drink juice from freshly pressed oranges

everyone pressed around me to see the pictures

we continued to press deeper and deeper into the tangled rain forest

a manager pressed by a business crisis to return from his vacation ahead of schedule

pressed us to go with them to the school board meeting

an office e-mail that presses the need for greater vigilance concerning building security

Verb (2)

the fleeing bank robber pressed a nearby taxi into service as a getaway car

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Rumors in the automotive press pinpoint that location to Indiana, perhaps at a shuttered Ford or Chrysler plant in the Indianapolis area. —New Atlas, 25 Apr. 2025

McFarland went on to tout all of the attention on Fyre Festival as a good thing, believing that all press is good press. —Sydney Bucksbaum, EW.com, 24 Apr. 2025

Verb

All three profile as instant contributors, and all three positions were needs, even if not as pressing as others. —Saad Yousuf, New York Times, 26 Apr. 2025

Trump is pressing them to more than double that amount to 5%, which is higher than what even the U.S. currently spends. —Francesca Chambers, USA Today, 26 Apr. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

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

Verb (1)

Middle English, from Anglo-French presser, from Latin pressare, frequentative of premere to press; probably akin to Russian naperet' to press

Verb (2)

alteration of obsolete prest to enlist by giving pay in advance

First Known Use

Noun (1)

13th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb (1)

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

Verb (2)

1578, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1

Noun (2)

1599, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing press

• anti-press
• bench press
• clothes press
• cold-press
• drill press
• durable press
• freedom of the press
• French press
• full-court press
• garlic press
• go to press
• gutter press
• military press
• on press
• permanent press
• press agency
• press agent
• press box
• press charges
• press clipping
• press cloth
• press conference
• press corps
• press cutting
• press for
• press gallery
• press-gang
• press home
• press kit
• press office
• press officer
• press of sail
• press on
• press one's case
• press one's luck
• press packet
• press release
• press secretary
• press (someone or something) into service
• press (something) on (someone)
• press stud
• press the flesh
• press the point
• press time
• press-up
• printing press
• punch press
• push/hit/press the panic button
• re-press
• the press
• vanity press
• web press

Rhymes for press

• bless
• chess
• cress
• dress
• es
• ess
• esse
• fess
• guess
• jess
• less
• lesse

Kids Definition

press

1 of 3 noun

ˈpres 

1

: crowd entry 2 sense 1, throng

2

: a machine or device that uses pressure to shape, flatten, squeeze, or stamp

a cookie press

a cider press

3

: closet entry 1 sense 2

4

a

: an act of pressing : pressure

b

: an aggressive defense in basketball

5

: the smoothed and creased condition of a freshly pressed garment

6

a

: printing press

b

: a printing or publishing business

7

a

: the gathering and publishing or broadcasting of news

b

: the newspapers and magazines of a country

c

: news reporters and broadcasters

press

2 of 3 verb

1

: to bear down upon : push steadily against

2

: to squeeze so as to force out the juice or contents of

press apples to make cider

3

: to flatten out or smooth by bearing down upon (as with an iron)

press clothes

4

a

: to put pressure on : force, compel

pressed by business to return

b

: to ask or urge strongly

pressed us to go with them

5

a

: to insist on

didn't press the issue

b

: to make a demand

pressing for higher wages

6

a

: to crowd closely

reporters pressed around the celebrity

b

: to force or push one's way

pressed deeper into the jungle

presser noun

press

3 of 3 verb

: to force into emergency service