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

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

Food and drink You’ll be hard-pressed to find more atmospheric places to eat in Bloomsbury than at Ottie’s Salon. — Condé Nast, Condé Nast Traveler, 16 July 2026

Verb

Bridgers proffers the second of the film’s most impressive transformations when Del is occasionally pressed into service to perform as an underage boy — changing her body language, her gait and, again, her voice. — Jessica Kiang, Variety, 5 Sep. 2026

Lahren pressed further on Hollywood’s standard negotiation tactics, noting that studios often attempt to shortchange individuals selling their life rights. — Alejandro Avila Outkick, FOXNews.com, 5 Sep. 2026

Later in the argument, Millett pressed Roth further about his contention that the federal courts have no authority to prevent the construction of the ballroom from going forward. — Ruth Marcus, New Yorker, 4 Sep. 2026

Catherine Ivill/Getty Images Tottenham have only won eight of their 37 league games in the year since the reset button was pressed. — Jack Pitt-Brooke, New York Times, 4 Sep. 2026

Celebrities trade red-carpet formality for jeans and flannel, while audiences crisscross town between screenings in a high school auditorium, a Masonic lodge, the county courthouse and half a dozen other spaces pressed into service for the week. — Los Angeles Times, 3 Sep. 2026

The prolonged absence has generated bipartisan scrutiny, particularly in Kentucky, where Beshear has pressed the longtime senator to provide more information about his health and future plans. — Fernando Cervantes Jr, USA Today, 3 Sep. 2026

And Democrats would be very hard-pressed to ever get any GOP buy-in on that idea. — David Goldman, CNN Money, 3 Sep. 2026

Oyer testified in opposition to Blanche's nomination, where Republican senators pressed her on her recommendations. — ABC News, 3 Sep. 2026