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

What begins as an intimate gathering quickly turns into a pressure cooker of political, cultural, and generational tensions as civil discourse gives way to fiery debate. —Anthony D'alessandro, Deadline, 15 May 2026

Instant Pots are safe Despite their predecessors being risky, modern pressure cookers are made with safety measures in place. —Bestreviews, Chicago Tribune, 14 May 2026

Working like a pressure cooker, the facility will heat waste under pressure and add bacteria. —Eleanor Nash, Kansas City Star, 5 May 2026

Surviving the pressure cooker of the NBA is a grind, but doing it under Lacob adds an entirely different layer of stress. —Dieter Kurtenbach, Mercury News, 18 Apr. 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