squeeze

verb

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\ ˈskwēz

squeezed; squeezing

Definition of squeeze

(Entry 1 of 2)

transitive verb

1a : to exert pressure especially on opposite sides of : compress

b : to extract or emit under pressure

c : to force or thrust by compression

2a(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

squeeze

noun

Definition of squeeze (Entry 2 of 2)

1a : an act or instance of squeezing : compression

b : handclasp also : embrace

2a : 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

Other Words from squeeze Synonyms & Antonyms More Example Sentences Learn More about squeeze

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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 This was only the beginning of intricate and potentially dangerous compact spaces undocumented immigrants have tried to squeeze into to cross the U.S. border. — Fox News, "The 9 craziest things seized by Customs and Border Protection," 15 Feb. 2020 Airlines are trying to squeeze more passengers on a plane to make more money. — Christopher Elliott, USA TODAY, "Is it wrong to recline your airline seat? Debate rages again after American Airlines incident," 14 Feb. 2020 For years, Samsung has been shipping its Galaxy phones at a default Full HD 1080p resolution rather than full-res Quad HD 1440p in an effort to squeeze the most battery life out of them. — Michael Simon, PCWorld, "Samsung's Galaxy S20 makes you choose between a high refresh rate and high resolution," 11 Feb. 2020 The four-year-old is dressed in a tutu and plastic high heels, and the sound of her casual, high-pitched banter causes my heart to squeeze. — Allison Pataki, Glamour, "Being ‘Selfish’ Makes Me a Better Mom," 5 Feb. 2020 On offense, the Browns need to bolster the line and then figure out how to squeeze the best out of Mayfield, not only in terms of calling the right plays, but also the proper game preparation. — Terry Pluto, cleveland, "What to do with Kareem Hunt? Calling plays? Hating analytics? Let’s talk Cleveland Browns," 1 Feb. 2020 During the 2016-17 season, the Blazers were 11 games under .500 on March 1, but won 17 of their final 23 games to squeeze into the postseason with a 41-41 record. — Jamie Goldberg, oregonlive, "Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard continues scoring outburst with 50 points against Indiana Pacers," 27 Jan. 2020 His nonstop attacks on Republican integrity are designed to squeeze vulnerable senators and help his party pick up seats in states like Maine or Colorado. — Kimberley A. Strassel, WSJ, "Schumer Whiffs Impeachment," 24 Jan. 2020 The clock moved as far back as 17 minutes in 1991 with the collapse of the Soviet Union, almost enough time to squeeze a TV show before the end of the world. — David Grossman, Popular Mechanics, "The Doomsday Clock Creeps As Close to Midnight As It's Been in Decades," 23 Jan. 2020 Recent Examples on the Web: Noun That has given the company financial flexibility to weather the squeeze on the hotels and fluctuations in another big line of business, its golf courses. — Eric Lipton, New York Times, "For Trump Organization, Office Skyscrapers Make Up for Lagging Hotels," 25 Dec. 2019 As the financial squeeze on renters has worsened, Kiolbassa’s organization has helped more families pay for rent, utilities and medicine. — Marina Starleaf Riker, ExpressNews.com, "‘We can do a lot more’ — City, community leaders call for efforts to prevent eviction," 22 Dec. 2019 Labour still hopes that a squeeze on the smaller parties may save it. — The Economist, "The Tories are well ahead in Wrexham, part of Labour’s “Red Wall”," 5 Dec. 2019 Some skeptics now wonder if their fire coverage would be changed again if the county faces a financial squeeze. — San Diego Union-Tribune, "Column: Julian station rebellion unresolved as fire season begins," 5 June 2019 But so is a handful of dill, a squeeze of lemon, and a crack of black pepper. — Rachel Karten, Bon Appétit, "This Vintage BA Recipe is the Definition of "Oldie But Goodie”," 30 Jan. 2020 LAS VEGAS - Builders are putting the squeeze on new homes to lower costs. — Steve Brown, Dallas News, "New homes in D-FW and U.S. are shrinking as builders try to contain costs," 27 Jan. 2020 That gap between births and deaths has put Japan in a demographic squeeze. — Ben Dooley, New York Times, "Japan Shrinks by 500,000 People as Births Fall to Lowest Number Since 1874," 24 Dec. 2019 The latest actions by the Charles Schwab Corp. suggest there’s less reason than there once was amid the squeeze the industry has been feeling since the Great Recession ended. — Conor Sen, Houston Chronicle, "Tech makes life on the coasts tough for banks," 20 Dec. 2019

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