squeeze

verb \ ˈskwēz \

|Updated on: 13 Jun 2018

Examples: squeeze in a Sentence

Definition of squeeze

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

play \ˌskwē-zə-ˈbi-lə-tē\ noun

—

squeezable

play \ˈskwē-zə-bəl\ adjective

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squeezer

noun

See squeeze defined for English-language learners

See squeeze defined for kids

Examples of squeeze in a Sentence

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.

Recent Examples of squeeze from the Web

Our local atmosphere is loaded with moisture right now, begging to be squeezed out in the form of heavy rain.

— greg porter, Washington Post, "PM Update: Localized flash-flooding possible tonight, with pockets of heavy rain developing," 2 June 2018
In Ireland, another place where Acadian Seaplants has an active rockweed operation, the company’s staunchest foes are small-scale, traditional harvesters who fear being squeezed out.

— ben goldfarb, Smithsonian, "How Seaweed Connects Us All," 31 May 2018
Scatter mango salad over fish and serve with lime wedges for squeezing over.

— andy baraghani, Bon Appetit, "Grilled Spiced Snapper with Mango and Red Onion Salad," 28 May 2018
The tipping point came when the regional energy market began squeezing out aging, inefficient coal plants in favor of cleaner-burning natural gas that had become cheaper to produce than coal.

— michael hawthorne, chicagotribune.com, "EPA deal marks dramatic shift away from dirty coal power in Chicago area," 24 May 2018
The hope is that this will blunt the advantage of ASICs and prevent ordinary users being squeezed out.

— The Economist, "How a few companies are bitcoining it," 19 May 2018
Absorbing tech To squeeze out a winning design that would flush the competition, Verily pushed for an ultra high-tech diaper.

— beth mole, Ars Technica, "Alphabet’s Verily has a “smart diaper“ design that distinguishes pee from poo," 17 May 2018
Almost any player can make an adjustment here or a tweak there to squeeze out just a little more production.

— michael beller, SI.com, "Max Scherzer's New Cutter Makes the Nationals' Ace Even More Dominant," 16 May 2018
One moment the character, and the film, are actively surprising the audience, squeezing out laughs at a rapid clip.

— bryan bishop, The Verge, "Deadpool 2 proves the first movie was no fluke," 15 May 2018

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.

Origin and Etymology of squeeze

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

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: circa 1601

in the meaning defined at transitive sense 1a

See Words from the same year

squeeze Synonyms

squeeze

noun

Definition of squeeze

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

See squeeze defined for English-language learners

Examples of squeeze in a Sentence

Fifty guests will be a bit of a squeeze.
It'll be a tight squeeze, but we can all fit.

Recent Examples of squeeze from the Web

Photos: Andrea Morales for The Wall Street Journal(2) Today’s coach-cabin seat squeeze has created lingering love for 747s, which never seemed as claustrophobic.

— scott mccartney, WSJ, "Last Rites for a Boeing 747," 6 June 2018
Image Many places, in both Canada and the United States, have tried remedies to the squeeze: tenant protections, housing subsidies and steps to enable developers to build higher and faster so that more housing will come online.

— conor dougherty, New York Times, "In Vancouver, a Housing Frenzy That Even Owners Want to End," 2 June 2018
Get our daily newsletter All this has boosted the morale of a service which was hurt by the spending squeeze mandated in 2010 after the economic downturn.

— The Economist, "Britain’s Royal Navy has big ambitions—but a small budget," 31 May 2018
Take 6 ounces of Disney princess movie soundtrack, add a splash of Diana Ross and the Supremes for soaring soulfulness, plus a heavy squeeze of Gil Scott-Heron, and a dash of roaring R&B a la Earth, Wind and Fire (OK, more than a dash).

— doug maccash, NOLA.com, "Attention Hangout Fest: Don't you dare miss Tank and the Bangas," 18 May 2018
And who should turn out to have become one of Vos’s top lieutenants but Han’s old squeeze Qi’ra?

— christopher orr, The Atlantic, "Solo: Finally a Star Wars Movie That's Not a Rehash of Star Wars," 15 May 2018
Toss with chopped cilantro and season with salt and a squeeze of lime.

— jan uebelherr, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "5 for summer: Master these seasonal staples for those sunny days ahead," 15 May 2018
The squeeze did help push back the date for Day Zero, though — far enough into the rainy season that city officials decided to call it off altogether.

— rachel becker, The Verge, "Today wasn’t Day Zero in Cape Town, but the water crisis isn’t over," 11 May 2018
Resource squeeze The strategy of trying more criminal prosecutions is not new.

— The Christian Science Monitor, "Concerns of court backlog intensifies as border prosecutions rise," 10 May 2018

First Known Use of squeeze

1611

in the meaning defined at sense 1a

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

squeeze Synonyms

Synonyms

compacting, compaction, compression, condensation, condensing, constricting, constriction, contracting, contraction, squeezing, telescoping;

Antonyms

decompression, expansion;

Near Antonyms

dilation, dispersion, dissipation, scattering;

distension (or distention), inflation, swelling;

concentration, consolidation;

simplification, streamlining;

decreasing, diminishment, lessening;

SQUEEZE Defined for English Language Learners

squeeze

verb

Definition of squeeze for English Language Learners

: to press together the parts and especially the opposite sides of (something)
: to get or remove (something) by squeezing something
: to pull back on (a gun's trigger) with your finger

squeeze

noun

Definition of squeeze for English Language Learners

: a situation in which people or things are crowded together
: an act of squeezing something
: a small amount that is gotten or removed from something (such as a piece of fruit) by squeezing it