pressurize

pres·sur·ize | \ ˈpre-shə-ˌrīz

How to pronounce pressurize (audio)

\

pressurized; pressurizing

Definition of pressurize

transitive verb

1 : to confine the contents of under a pressure greater than that of the outside atmosphere especially : to maintain near-normal atmospheric pressure in during high-altitude or spaceflight (as by means of a supercharger)

2 : to apply pressure to

3 : to design to withstand pressure

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Examples of pressurize in a Sentence

A pump is used to pressurize the fuel. The system that pressurizes the airplane's cabin failed to operate correctly. Don't let them pressurize you to do anything you don't want to do.

Recent Examples on the Web Inside, the passenger cabins are pressurized to a lower altitude (6,000 feet versus 8,000 on older aircraft) and humidity levels can be kept higher, which helps curb jet lag. — Eric Rosen, Condé Nast Traveler, "Is Fiji Airways New Business-Class Seat Worth 80,000 Points?," 4 Feb. 2020 Its magma reservoirs sit very close to the surface, feeding heat and gas into a shallow aquifer above it, superheating any water trapped in the rock, and pressurizing the surrounding sediment. — Megan Molteni, Wired, "Why Volcanologists Didn't Predict New Zealand's Deadly Eruption," 10 Dec. 2019 While the work appeared to go smoothly, the system will not be pressurized until the fourth spacewalk when Parmitano and Morgan will be able to tighten fittings as required to ensure leak-free performance. — William Harwood, CBS News, "Spacewalkers replace coolant pumps on $2 billion cosmic ray detector," 2 Dec. 2019 The tanks themselves are pressurized to 10,153 psi (700bar, or 70Mpa) and are multi-layered using five layers of carbon-fiber plus an outer layer that absorbs sharp impacts. — Jim Resnick, Ars Technica, "The 2021 Toyota Mirai hydrogen fuel cell car has more luxury, less ugly," 10 Oct. 2019 Private jets fly at around 40,000 feet and their luggage section isn’t pressurized. — Charlton Pettus, New York Times, "41 Days, 26 Shows, 10 Countries: A Rock Tour Diary," 16 Oct. 2019 These suits are designed for liftoff and descents, and can be pressurized in case of an emergency. — Wired, "No More Spacewalk Snafus: NASA's New Space Suit Fits Everyone," 16 Oct. 2019 Maybe Elliott is agitating in the hope of pressurizing Three Gorges to make a higher bid. — Chris Hughes | Bloomberg, Washington Post, "Elliott Tilts at a Chinese Windmill," 14 Feb. 2019 The Arch Cape neighborhood’s supply is piped from cisterns that sit about 50 to 75 feet into the woods, under Highway 101 and into private pump houses that filter and pressurize it for supply to the homes. — oregonlive, "Failing forestry: Oregon wanted to clearcut above their water supply. The plan’s on hold for now.," 28 Sep. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'pressurize.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near pressurize

pressure welding

Statistics for pressurize

Last Updated

22 Feb 2020

Cite this Entry

“Pressurize.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pressurize. Accessed 24 Feb. 2020.

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