pressing

adjective

press·​ing ˈpre-siŋ 

1

: urgently important : critical

a pressing issue

2

: earnest, warm

pressingly

ˈpre-siŋ-lē 

adverb

Synonyms of pressing

• urgent
• acute

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 energy-sapping pace of the game, with furious pressing and frenzied chasing, saw mistakes creep in, with Morocco caught flat by Nicolas Jackson’s 38th-minute pass to Iliman Ndiaye, whose shot was saved by Bounou. —Reuters, NBC news, 18 Jan. 2026

As interest in personalized health technology continues to expand, SoundHealth’s latest offering reflects a broader effort to apply artificial intelligence and clinical research to everyday wellness challenges, with sleep remaining one of the most pressing. —Soundhealth, New York Daily News, 16 Jan. 2026

The most pressing question for Abel, said Krystal Hur in The Wall Street Journal, is what to do with $358 billion in cash. —The Week Us, TheWeek, 15 Jan. 2026

More pressing, more tactical instruction and analysis. —Mario Cortegana, New York Times, 15 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1591, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing pressing

• flesh-pressing

Rhymes for pressing

• blessing
• dressing
• guessing
• messing
• stressing
• accessing
• addressing
• assessing
• caressing
• compressing
• confessing
• depressing

Kids Definition

pressing

adjective

press·​ing ˈpres-iŋ 

: needing one's immediate attention

a pressing issue

pressingly

-iŋ-lē 

adverb