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

These are the bitter ingredients that seasoned the chef Anthony Bourdain inside the pressure cooker of the restaurant industry. — Amy Nicholson, Los Angeles Times, 6 Aug. 2026

Argentina advanced past England with another pressure cooker in 1998’s round of 16. — Steven Louis Goldstein, New York Times, 15 July 2026

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

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