squeezed; squeezing
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
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
1
a
: an act or instance of squeezing : compression
2
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
7
slang
: a romantic partner
she's my main squeeze
Synonyms
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
Erik Hertzberg, Fortune, 17 Apr. 2024
The programs have been gaining steam in a post-pandemic economy whose resilience keeps defying expectations, even as high living costs squeeze working families.
—J.j. McCorvey, NBC News, 13 Apr. 2024
Hundreds of representatives from various businesses squeezed into a Baird Center exhibit hall Thursday seeking answers and advice from the Secret Service, local law enforcement, city officials and the Republican National Committee's Committee on Arrangements.
—Ricardo Torres, Journal Sentinel, 12 Apr. 2024
While inflation has pressured the companies’ low-income customer base and shoplifting has squeezed their profits, those factors alone can’t explain their difficulties.
—Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN, 11 Apr. 2024
Lacking a paved sidewalk, children living in the mobile home community next door squeeze through a dirt path to get to and from class.
—Jaime Moore-Carrillo, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Apr. 2024
Cuisinart’s Smart Power Duet Blender/Food Processor is ideal for someone looking to squeeze some extra mileage and utility out of their chopper.
—Jack Byram, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 Apr. 2024
The songs are squeezed too — a shame because many are lovely.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2024
As part of the intake stroke, a supercharger pulls and squeezes air into the engine to create that beastly whine.
—Kristin Shaw, Popular Science, 3 Apr. 2024
The Editorial Board, Orange County Register, 5 Apr. 2024
Like many institutions in Wisconsin, Concordia is feeling the financial squeeze.
—Journal Sentinel, 2 Apr. 2024
Crushing strength exercises The tennis ball squeeze test noted above also can be used as a basic strengthening exercise.
—Dana Santas, CNN, 1 Apr. 2024
Serve immediately with a squeeze of lemon and drizzle of olive oil.
—Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 15 Mar. 2024
As noted above, the gradual squeeze of MA payment rates has not, to date, led to a drop in MA enrollment.
—Avik Roy, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024
Profit margins for retail pharmacies began shrinking more than a decade ago, putting a squeeze on the industry.
—Adiel Kaplan, NBC News, 1 Mar. 2024
Their interactions produce gravitational waves—literally, stretches and squeezes of spacetime—which are detected by observatories like the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA Collaboration, which is at the heart of the latest research.
—Isaac Schultz / Gizmodo, Quartz, 7 Apr. 2024
The Orange Splash is made with Hornitos Reposado, orange liqueur, orange juice, lemon-lime soda and a squeeze of lime and orange, and it’s served in a Giants souvenir baseball cup.
—Linda Zavoral, The Mercury News, 2 Apr. 2024
Verb
Overall, Freeland’s new budget shows a government squeezed between those spending demands, higher borrowing costs and its commitment to keep the deficit — expected at C$39.8 billion this fiscal year — under control.
—Erik Hertzberg, Fortune, 17 Apr. 2024
The programs have been gaining steam in a post-pandemic economy whose resilience keeps defying expectations, even as high living costs squeeze working families.
—J.j. McCorvey, NBC News, 13 Apr. 2024
Hundreds of representatives from various businesses squeezed into a Baird Center exhibit hall Thursday seeking answers and advice from the Secret Service, local law enforcement, city officials and the Republican National Committee's Committee on Arrangements.
—Ricardo Torres, Journal Sentinel, 12 Apr. 2024
While inflation has pressured the companies’ low-income customer base and shoplifting has squeezed their profits, those factors alone can’t explain their difficulties.
—Nathaniel Meyersohn, CNN, 11 Apr. 2024
Lacking a paved sidewalk, children living in the mobile home community next door squeeze through a dirt path to get to and from class.
—Jaime Moore-Carrillo, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 11 Apr. 2024
Cuisinart’s Smart Power Duet Blender/Food Processor is ideal for someone looking to squeeze some extra mileage and utility out of their chopper.
—Jack Byram, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 Apr. 2024
The songs are squeezed too — a shame because many are lovely.
—Jesse Green, New York Times, 11 Apr. 2024
As part of the intake stroke, a supercharger pulls and squeezes air into the engine to create that beastly whine.
—Kristin Shaw, Popular Science, 3 Apr. 2024
Noun
If, like some tony suburban cities in our state do, local politicians mandate a minimum lot size of one acre for single-family residences, well, that creates more of a squeeze for limited land elsewhere.
—The Editorial Board, Orange County Register, 5 Apr. 2024
Like many institutions in Wisconsin, Concordia is feeling the financial squeeze.
—Journal Sentinel, 2 Apr. 2024
Crushing strength exercises The tennis ball squeeze test noted above also can be used as a basic strengthening exercise.
—Dana Santas, CNN, 1 Apr. 2024
Serve immediately with a squeeze of lemon and drizzle of olive oil.
—Sabrina Weiss, Peoplemag, 15 Mar. 2024
As noted above, the gradual squeeze of MA payment rates has not, to date, led to a drop in MA enrollment.
—Avik Roy, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024
Profit margins for retail pharmacies began shrinking more than a decade ago, putting a squeeze on the industry.
—Adiel Kaplan, NBC News, 1 Mar. 2024
Their interactions produce gravitational waves—literally, stretches and squeezes of spacetime—which are detected by observatories like the LIGO-Virgo-KAGRA Collaboration, which is at the heart of the latest research.
—Isaac Schultz / Gizmodo, Quartz, 7 Apr. 2024
The Orange Splash is made with Hornitos Reposado, orange liqueur, orange juice, lemon-lime soda and a squeeze of lime and orange, and it’s served in a Giants souvenir baseball cup.
—Linda Zavoral, The Mercury News, 2 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'squeeze.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near squeeze
Cite this Entry
“Squeeze.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/squeeze. Accessed 25 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
squeeze
1 of 2 verb
squeezed; squeezing
1
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 noun1
: an act or instance of squeezing
2
: financial pressure
put the squeeze on someone
3
slang
: a romantic partner
she's my main squeeze
Love words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
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