squeeze

1 of 2

verb

ˈskwēz 

squeezed; squeezing

transitive verb

1

a

: to exert pressure especially on opposite sides of : compress

b

: to extract or emit under pressure

c

: to force or thrust by compression

2

a(1)

: to get by extortion

(2)

: to deprive by extortion

b

: to cause economic hardship to

c

: to reduce the amount of

squeezes profits

3

: to crowd into a limited area

4

: to gain or win by a narrow margin

5

: to force (another player) to discard in bridge so as to unguard a suit

6

: to score by means of a squeeze play

intransitive verb

1

: to give way before pressure

2

: to exert pressure

also : to practice extortion or oppression

3

: to force one's way

squeeze through a door

4

: to pass, win, or get by narrowly

squeezability

ˌskwē-zə-ˈbi-lə-tē 

noun

squeezable

ˈskwē-zə-bəl 

adjective

squeezer noun

squeeze

2 of 2

noun

1

a

: an act or instance of squeezing : compression

b

: handclasp

also : embrace

2

a

: a quantity squeezed out from something

a squeeze of lemon

b

: a group crowded together : crowd

3

: a profit taken by a middleman on goods or transactions

4

: a financial pressure caused by narrowing margins or by shortages

5

: a forced discard in bridge

6

: squeeze play

7

slang : a romantic partner

she's my main squeeze

Synonyms

Verb

• crush
• press
• mash
• express
• extract

Noun

• squeezing
• compression
• condensing

Examples of squeeze in a Sentence

Verb

He lightly squeezed her hand and smiled.

Gently squeeze the fruit to see if it's ripe.

Hold it securely but don't squeeze too hard.

He squeezed the juice from the orange.

Noun

Fifty guests will be a bit of a squeeze.

It'll be a tight squeeze, but we can all fit.

Recent Examples on the Web

Verb

To squeeze all this into exactly 100 days between Wrexham staging a promotion party after last season had ended and Tuesday’s cup tie against Hull is impressive. —Richard Sutcliffe, New York Times, 15 Aug. 2025

Ewers was impressive finding A.J. Henning on one throw and squeezed a pass into a tight window to running back Ollie Gordon II. —David Furones, Sun Sentinel, 15 Aug. 2025

Noun

Fed’s dilemma: inflation, growth, and political pressure This squeeze comes at a time when the Federal Reserve is under immense political pressure to lower interest rates, with President Trump and his allies calling for easier money to offset the effects of new tariffs and support flagging markets. —Nick Lichtenberg, Fortune, 4 Aug. 2025

My recipe became potatoes, dressed not only with salt and pepper while still a little warm, but also a drizzle of good extra-virgin olive oil and squeeze of lemon juice. —Anne Byrn, Southern Living, 2 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Verb

alteration of obsolete English quease, from Middle English queysen, from Old English cwȳsan; akin to Icelandic kveisa stomach cramps

First Known Use

Verb

circa 1601, in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

Noun

1611, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Phrases Containing squeeze

• feeling the squeeze
• main squeeze
• putting the squeeze on
• squeeze bottle
• squeeze in
• squeeze off
• squeeze one's eyes shut
• squeeze out
• squeeze play
• squeeze up
• suicide squeeze
• the squeeze
• tight squeeze

Rhymes for squeeze

• agrees
• appease
• bailees
• bougies
• burmese
• chemise
• chickpeas
• chinese
• cowpeas
• curies
• decrees
• degrees

Kids Definition

squeeze

1 of 2 verb

ˈskwēz 

squeezed; squeezing

1

a

: to press together from the opposite sides of : compress

squeeze wet clay into a ball

b

: to get by squeezing

squeeze juice from a lemon

c

: to force or thrust by compression : crowd

squeezed into the car

2

a

: to force (as by threats) money, goods, or services from

squeezed their tenants mercilessly

b

: to reduce the amount of

rising costs squeezed profits

3

: to gain or win by a narrow margin

squeezer noun

squeeze

2 of 2 noun

1

: an act or instance of squeezing

2

: financial pressure

put the squeeze on someone

3

slang : a romantic partner

she's my main squeeze