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under pressure

idiom
1 : tightly pressed into a container
  • The contents of the bottle are under pressure.
2 : in a state of stress or anxiety because of having too much to do
  • They both work well under pressure.
3 : being made to feel forced to do something (as by arguments, threats, etc.)
  • The mayor is under pressure to resign.

Word by Word Definitions

under play

  1. : in or into a position below or beneath something

  2. : below or short of some quantity, level, or limit

  3. : in or into a condition of subjection, subordination, or unconsciousness

  1. : below or beneath so as to be overhung, surmounted, covered, protected, or concealed by

  2. : subject to the authority, control, guidance, or instruction of

  3. : receiving or undergoing the action or effect of

  1. : lying or placed below, beneath, or on the ventral side

  2. : facing or protruding downward

  3. : lower in rank or authority : subordinate

See the full definition of under
pressure play

  1. : the burden of physical or mental distress

  2. : the constraint of circumstance : the weight of social or economic imposition

  3. : the application of force to something by something else in direct contact with it : compression

  1. : to apply pressure to

  2. : pressurize

  3. : to cook in a pressure cooker

See the full definition of pressure

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