pressure cooker

1 of 2

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

pressure-cook

2 of 2

verb

: to cook in a pressure cooker

Examples of pressure cooker in a Sentence

Noun

The new boss has turned the office into a pressure cooker.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

How to Eat For an easy way to cook mung beans, toss them in a pressure cooker for about five minutes, says Allen. — Kirsten Nunez, Martha Stewart, 5 July 2026

As elite athletes for Team USA, both Hernandez and Drury understood the pressure cooker that produced Olympic aspirations. — Caroline Price, Forbes.com, 30 June 2026

For the better part of the 2010s, Tesla was battered by analysts and short sellers that created a pressure cooker environment under which the company needed to scale up production of its mass market cars. — Jackie Wattles, CNN Money, 24 June 2026

Early Prime Day kitchen deals include savings on the Instant Pot pressure cooker, Ninja CREAMi ice cream maker, Breville Barista Express espresso machine and much more. — ABC News, 19 June 2026

Word History

Etymology

Verb

back-formation from pressure cooker

First Known Use

Noun

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