pressing

adjective

press·​ing ˈpre-siŋ How to pronounce pressing (audio)
1
: urgently important : critical
a pressing issue
2
pressingly adverb

Examples of pressing in a Sentence

a pressing need for reform she had pressing business on the other side of town
Recent Examples on the Web The disability discrimination dilemma One of the most pressing issues is disability discrimination. Gleb Tsipursky, Fortune, 22 Nov. 2023 Even as Prime Minister Rishi Sunak pledged to find a way to override the court, critics said the policy was a distraction from the most pressing issue: an enormous backlog of unresolved asylum cases that has ballooned under the Conservatives, to 140,000 this year from about 22,000 in March 2018. Megan Specia, New York Times, 18 Nov. 2023 Nuclear Armageddon and climate change are much more pressing worries. Susan D'agostino, Quanta Magazine, 24 Oct. 2023 But in Michoacán, the more pressing question is whether its residents can survive the avocado. Alexander Sammon, Harper's Magazine, 16 Oct. 2023 Tuesday's glam night in Singapore saw stars like actress Cate Blanchett, Ted Lasso star Hannah Waddingham and Emmy award-winning actor and producer Sterling K. Brown herald the next wave of environmentalists and businesses who have some of the answers to the planet's most pressing problems. Simon Perry, Peoplemag, 7 Nov. 2023 Artificial intelligence seemed to be the most pressing issue on guild members’ minds at the Disney rally. Christi Carras, Los Angeles Times, 1 Nov. 2023 The most pressing issue to be discussed at the retreat was what to do about Jonathan Majors, the actor who had been poised to carry the next phase of the Marvel Cinematic Universe but instead is headed to a high-profile trial in New York later this month on domestic violence charges. Tatiana Siegel, Variety, 1 Nov. 2023 And at their core, myths are ways to probe at the most pressing issues of our existence: Where did everything begin and where does everything end? Katie Liu, Discover Magazine, 31 Oct. 2023 See More

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

Word History

First Known Use

1591, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of pressing was in 1591

Dictionary Entries Near pressing

Cite this Entry

“Pressing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pressing. Accessed 5 Dec. 2023.

Kids Definition

pressing

adjective
press·​ing ˈpres-iŋ How to pronounce pressing (audio)
: needing one's immediate attention
a pressing issue
pressingly adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on pressing

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!