Synonyms of pressed

pressed 1 of 3

adjective

as in squeezed

Related Words

• squeezed
• crushed
• massed
• jammed
• crammed
• packed
• overcrowded
• compressed
• dense
• airtight
• wall-to-wall
• compacted
• crowded
• close
• compact
• thick
• serried
• tight
• snug
• condensed
• congested
• solid
• firm
• impervious
• hard
• impermeable
• jam-packed
• impenetrable

Dissimilar Words

• open
• loose
• airy
• spacious
• uncrowded
• commodious
• roomy

pressed

2 of 3

verb (1)

past tense of press

as in seized

to take or make use of under a guise of authority but without actual right

the fleeing bank robber pressed a nearby taxi into service as a getaway car

Synonyms & Similar Words

• seized
• grabbed
• confiscated
• occupied
• converted
• claimed
• stole
• usurped
• appropriated
• preempted
• commandeered
• annexed
• snatched
• invaded
• assumed
• pirated
• arrogated
• took over
• attached
• expropriated
• looted
• grasped
• sequestered
• wrenched
• impounded
• preoccupied
• pillaged
• encroached
• repossessed
• despoiled
• collared
• trespassed
• infringed
• wrested
• misapplied
• embezzled
• misused
• peculated
• misappropriated

pressed

3 of 3

verb (2)

past tense of press

1

as in shoved

to push steadily against with some force

an old doorbell that requires you to press the button hard

Synonyms & Similar Words

• shoved
• compressed
• punched
• squeezed
• depressed
• weighed (on or upon)
• bore (down on)
• forced
• compelled
• stuffed
• pressured
• mashed
• thrust
• jammed
• squashed
• squished
• propelled
• muscled
• squooshed
• wedged
• crushed
• leaned (on or against)
• packed
• compacted
• constricted
• drove
• condensed
• contracted
• wrung
• scrunched
• crammed
• jam-packed

2

as in crushed

to apply external pressure on so as to force out the juice or contents of

my family will only drink juice from freshly pressed oranges

Synonyms & Similar Words

• squeezed
• crushed
• mashed
• expressed
• extracted
• reamed
• extruded
• pulped
• pureed

3

as in huddled

to gather into a closely packed group

everyone pressed around me to see the pictures

Synonyms & Similar Words

• huddled
• piled
• crowded
• bunched
• clustered
• assembled
• swarmed
• flocked
• surrounded
• hugged
• converged
• convened
• herded
• collected
• encircled
• thronged
• concentrated
• congregated
• mobbed
• forgathered
• concentered
• conglomerated
• embraced

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• dispersed
• split (up)
• disbanded
• broke up

4

as in pushed

to force one's way

we continued to press deeper and deeper into the tangled rain forest

Synonyms & Similar Words

• pushed
• squeezed
• shoved
• jammed
• jostled
• crashed
• elbowed
• bored
• muscled
• shouldered
• thrust
• bulled
• bulldozed
• rammed

5

as in compelled

to cause (a person) to give in to pressure

a manager pressed by a business crisis to return from his vacation ahead of schedule

Synonyms & Similar Words

• compelled
• forced
• coerced
• obliged
• obligated
• pressured
• drove
• constrained
• impelled
• impressed
• muscled
• made
• dragooned
• blackjacked
• sandbagged
• intimidated
• blackmailed
• bullied
• threatened
• hectored
• dragged
• cowed
• badgered
• bulldozed
• twisted one's arm
• browbeat
• menaced
• shamed
• terrorized
• harassed
• hounded
• high-pressured

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• let
• allowed
• permitted
• moved
• convinced
• argued
• induced
• satisfied
• won (over)
• persuaded
• talked (into)
• prevailed (on or upon)

6

as in urged

to try to persuade (someone) through earnest appeals to follow a course of action

pressed us to go with them to the school board meeting

Synonyms & Similar Words

• urged
• encouraged
• nudged
• prompted
• pushed
• prodded
• exhorted
• spurred
• goaded
• coaxed
• propelled
• egged (on)
• stimulated
• hurried
• drove
• rushed
• hustled
• implored
• pressured
• provoked
• beseeched
• importuned
• cajoled
• wheedled
• adjured
• needled
• nagged
• incited
• fomented
• instigated
• stirred (up)
• blandished
• soft-soaped
• high-pressured

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• discouraged
• deterred
• checked
• constrained
• dissuaded
• restrained
• inhibited
• held back
• braked
• curbed

7

as in emphasized

to indicate the importance of by centering attention on

an office e-mail that presses the need for greater vigilance concerning building security

Synonyms & Similar Words

• emphasized
• highlighted
• stressed
• featured
• punctuated
• accented
• identified
• accentuated
• focused
• pointed (up)
• illuminated
• foregrounded
• played up
• promoted
• made much of
• bore down on
• advertised
• publicized
• spotlighted
• plugged
• pinpointed
• boosted
• overplayed

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• played down
• minimized
• understated
• toned (down)
• de-emphasized
• discounted
• disparaged
• underemphasized
• belittled

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of pressed

Adjective

As heads of their respective agencies, Vought and Bhattacharya presumably have other duties and would be hard-pressed to give each proposal a serious evaluation. — John Timmer, ArsTechnica, 21 Sep. 2026

By design, college football fans will be hard-pressed to avoid the ACC this weekend. — Ken Sugiura, AJC.com, 3 Sep. 2026

More to the point, another 7% gain would boost the league’s average delivery to a hair shy of 20 million viewers per game, which is a summit that even the mighty NFL would be hard pressed to reach. — Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 19 Aug. 2026

How to factor vesting into career decisions You’d be hard-pressed to find a financial planner who’d advise against contributing enough to your plan to get a match — regardless of the vesting schedule. — Ryan Ermey, CNBC, 11 Aug. 2026

At this breakneck pace, box office watchers are hard-pressed to predict where ticket sales will ultimately wind up. — Rebecca Rubin, Variety, 9 Aug. 2026

In the kitchen, his reputation is impeccable; he’s known for bringing authentic Venetian cooking to a region hard-pressed to find it. — Nate Gartrell, Mercury News, 6 Aug. 2026

But even those people who dislike the very existence of private schools in big cities would be hard-pressed to make the case that the entire sector collectively makes up a torture chamber. — The Editorial Board, Chicago Tribune, 5 Aug. 2026

Anyone who had come to the Hill hoping to gain insights into the American-history museum’s actual philosophy or operations would have been hard-pressed to find them. — Kelsey Ables, The Atlantic, 23 July 2026

Verb

The two of them spent the rest of the night pressed together in the crowded bar, shouting at each other to be heard over the sound of drunk youth. — Josephine Reisman, Vulture, 24 Sep. 2026

Trump has in recent years pressed Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te to dramatically increase Taiwan’s defense budget. — ABC News, 23 Sep. 2026

With Weinstein remaining in custody on his Los Angeles conviction, Manhattan prosecutors pressed ahead with a new trial involving Haley and Mann in 2025. — Nancy Dillon, Rolling Stone, 23 Sep. 2026

The filing comes as local election authorities have pressed forward with absentee voting using a map lawmakers passed in 2022. — Kacen Bayless, Kansas City Star, 23 Sep. 2026

The sheets are pressed to remove water and allowed to dry naturally. — Alexandra Harrell, Footwear News, 23 Sep. 2026

In a photo from the ceremony, Qi is standing stiffly beside a Party official, his hands pressed tightly against his sides. — Afra Wang, New Yorker, 23 Sep. 2026

Shankland is wearing her starched cap and pressed white uniform dress, holding a red rose. — Laura Trujillo, USA Today, 22 Sep. 2026

During Houston Rockets Media Day on Tuesday, reporters pressed the veteran forward on the ongoing campaign by his former Thunder teammate, Enes Kanter Freedom, and former NBA first-round pick Royce White to keep biological men out of women's sports. — Alejandro Avila Outkick, FOXNews.com, 22 Sep. 2026