pressure point
nounDefinition of pressure point
1a : an area on the body sensitive to pressure: such as
(1) : a discrete point on the body that when pressed causes pain The technique involves using pressure points along the jaw to cause pain and induce temporary paralysis of the jaw. —Margaret Harding
(2) : a point on the body to which pressure is applied (as in acupressure or reflexology) for therapeutic purposes … an ancient Chinese art and science that uses pressure points in the feet and hands to relax and revitalize the entire body. —Vogue
b : a point on the body where a blood vessel (such as the femoral artery) can be compressed against an underlying bone to slow blood flow and control bleeding … begin controlling bleeding by pressing on pressure points or by applying tourniquets. —Shakava Andres
c : a region of the body where a static position tends to cause circulatory deficiency and the development of bedsores Pressure points of the human body when lying down in bed receive poor blood circulation, which causes the sore. —Mike Cote
2 : a sensitive critical issue or matter that can be exploited for one's advantage political pressure points
Examples of pressure point in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The sand-color twinset also has built-in pressure points, bringing yogis one step closer to rest and relaxation. — Katie Devlin, Vogue, "The Best Clothes to Work Out (and Sweat) in All Summer," 5 July 2018 Those are extremely strong pressure points in addition to investors. — Recode Staff, Recode, "Full transcript: Charlotte and Dave Willner, plus Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky on Recode Decode," 9 July 2018 Perhaps most importantly, these two issues mark areas where Democrats and the more moderate Murkowski and Collins have common ground, serving as effective pressure points for securing their votes, the source said. — Li Zhou, Vox, "Schumer faces the most important Supreme Court fight for Democrats in a generation," 6 July 2018 An officer again appears to hold the suspect by the pressure point near his ear while searching for a gun. — Ray Sanchez And Keith Allen, CNN, "Mesa, Arizona, police video shows officers punch, mock suspect," 14 June 2018 Castro-Ramirez will brief the council Wednesday on a number of data points that paint a stark portrait of the increasing pressure points around housing. — Josh Baugh, San Antonio Express-News, "Housing task force to deliver recommendations to City Council," 20 June 2018 The new valuation method, though, could be another pressure point for borrowers at a time when the benchmark yield is near a 3 1/2-year high. — Subhadip Sircar, Bloomberg.com, "Pain for India's State Bond Market Is Good, Investors Say," 15 June 2018 As police pull the suspect up and take him to a squad car, one officer can be seen in the video grabbing and holding the suspect by what the police report describes as a pressure point behind his ear. — Ray Sanchez And Keith Allen, CNN, "Mesa, Arizona, police video shows officers punch, mock suspect," 14 June 2018 No matter the choice, the mattress will help align your spine in any position and adapt to your body’s pressure points for a more comfortable feel. — Jamie Lisanti, SI.com, "Six Methods Athletes Use to Get Better Sleep and Power Performance," 8 June 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'pressure point.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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