squeezes 1 of 2

verb

present tense third-person singular of squeeze
1
as in crushes
to apply external pressure on so as to force out the juice or contents of kept squeezing the bottle until the ketchup squirted all over the table

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2
as in crams
to fit (people or things) into a tight space I think we can squeeze a bit more into the washing machine

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3
as in earns
to get with great difficulty managed to squeeze a living by cleaning houses

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4
as in compresses
to reduce in size or volume by or as if by pressing parts or members together squeezed the blanket until it fit into the box

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in plucks
to rob by the use of trickery or threats the mob squeezes all the local merchants by threatening violence

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6
as in pushes
to force one's way I was able to squeeze through the people clustered around the luggage carousel

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squeezes

2 of 2

noun

plural of squeeze
as in darlings
slang a person with whom one is in love she and her main squeeze are spending Valentine's Day at a romantic country inn

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Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of squeezes
Verb
Whereas the Scranton method mainly involves molding ultrahot steel in giant forging presses, Repkon added a step in which a fast-spinning machine squeezes and rolls out the metal like clay on a potter’s wheel. — Jesse Coburn, ProPublica, 12 Aug. 2026 Among them, the missiles are difficult to manufacture, supply chain squeezes can interrupt production, and missile production decisions are also made years in advance. — James Powel, USA Today, 9 Aug. 2026 Intended to foster moderation, the top two system has instead functioned as a primary system that repeatedly squeezes Republicans. — Dain Fitzgerald, The Washington Examiner, 1 Aug. 2026 Apple’s iPhone and Mac sales are on the rise even as a global memory shortage squeezes device makers. — Emma Roth, The Verge, 30 July 2026 That not only squeezes consumers' budgets, but also hits businesses hard, especially those which are heavily dependent on fuel. — ABC News, 23 July 2026 That not only squeezes consumers’ budgets, but also hits businesses hard, especially those that are heavily dependent on fuel. — Matt Ott, Los Angeles Times, 23 July 2026 Pair chin tucks with shoulder blade squeezes to counteract the forward hunch. — Hanna Wickes, Kansas City Star, 22 July 2026 Shoulder blade squeezes, pulling the shoulder blades together and holding for a few seconds, counteract the forward hunch that builds up during long screen sessions. — Hanna Wickes, Miami Herald, 22 July 2026
Noun
And yet each leg up in the market heightens the risk of more Situational Awareness-like squeezes, and of individualized distress giving way to a broader bust. — John Cassidy, New Yorker, 10 Aug. 2026 Heightened demand causes volatility, which often leads to short squeezes. — David Capablanca, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026 This summer, find citrus scents that range from bracingly tart yuzu to soft, floral squeezes of orange blossom and bergamot. — Ariel Wodarcyk, InStyle, 4 June 2026 With the apparel market forecast to grow 2-4 percent per year between 2023 and 2028—a steep falloff from the 7–14 percent seen during the post-Covid recovery—executives are homing in on more immediate budget squeezes. — Jasmin Malik Chua, Footwear News, 6 May 2026 That limits the ability for unexpected good news to trigger short squeezes that send the stock flying. — Bloomberg, Mercury News, 22 Apr. 2026 First, they are set up for serious short squeezes because the surrounding verbiage is so toxic. — Jim Cramer, CNBC, 25 Jan. 2026 There had only been six previous go-ahead late-inning squeezes — by the Giants in the 2014 NLCS, the Nationals in the 2014 NLDS, the Yankees in the 1996 ALDS, the Mets in the 1969 World Series, the Red Sox in the 1918 World Series and the Braves in the 1914 World Series. — Jayson Stark, New York Times, 1 Oct. 2025 Using your hands, give the leaves 2 to 3 aggressive squeezes. — Caron Golden, San Diego Union-Tribune, 17 Sep. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for squeezes
  1. crushes
  2. crams
  3. earns
  4. compresses
  5. plucks
  6. pushes
  7. darlings
  8. presses
Verb
  • Katie Ledecky crushes the world record in the 1,500 freestyle for her second gold medal at the world swimming championships in Barcelona, Spain.
    — Assistant Sports Editor, Los Angeles Times, 30 July 2026
  • While this motion typically crushes or warps regular sneakers, these shoes bounce right back into their original shape, damage-free.
    — Sian Babish, PEOPLE, 18 July 2026
Definition of crushes
Verb
  • The MatePad Air crams six speakers into its thin body and, thanks to its big battery, can play videos for up to 16 hours.
    — Ben Sin, Forbes.com, 29 July 2026
  • Director Allan Deberton crams much story and characterization in those opening frames.
    — Murtada Elfadl, Variety, 24 Feb. 2026
Definition of crams
Verb
  • The Staten Island teen earns around $700 from the program, which entails working six hours a day, twice per week—including one day at the College of Staten Island.
    — Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 9 Aug. 2026
  • By comparison, the typical American worker earns between $23 and $56 an hour.
    — Jen Cole Wright, The Conversation, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of earns
Verb
  • The leadership structure that remains suggests companies will increasingly absorb executive responsibilities across fewer people as AI compresses the distance between strategy and execution.
    — Rachel Wells, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
  • This is the step where the barista compresses the ground coffee within the portafilter to create a dense puck.
    — Better Homes & Gardens, Better Homes & Gardens, 2 Aug. 2026
Definition of compresses
Verb
  • His torso and thighs grow eye-poppingly muscular beneath their skimpy fur-and-leather togs—a development that does not go unnoticed by a warrior named Red Hair, who plucks the young hunk from his post and tosses him into the prime time of the gladiator pit.
    — Naomi Fry, New Yorker, 15 June 2026
  • But the emotional gravity of this offering's deeply personal, melancholic lyrical content plucks an undeniably profound chord that uniquely separates it from the rest of his work.
    — Chris Barilla, PEOPLE, 29 May 2026
Definition of plucks
Verb
  • The new distance pushes that approach into territory more relevant to wide-area networks.
    — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 14 Aug. 2026
  • Her new project, fata morgana, pushes her sound into new territory.
    — Vogue, Vogue, 14 Aug. 2026
Definition of pushes
Noun
  • But after a disappointing 2025 season in which the Tigers went from top-five preseason Playoff darlings to Pinstripe Bowl losers, is the clock ticking for the winningest coach in ACC football history?
    — Austin Perry OutKick, FOXNews.com, 31 July 2026
  • Directed by their longtime collaborator Garth Jennings, the feature combines footage from their arena tour behind last year’s reunion album, More, with archival film tracing the band’s rise from tenacious Sheffield also-rans to Britpop darlings.
    — Jazz Monroe, Pitchfork, 23 July 2026
Definition of darlings
Verb
  • There, Mary presses the child’s face deep into her own with a pressure that wavers between grief and affection.
    — Carmen Rosenberg-Miller, Artforum, 6 Aug. 2026
  • Washington does face a formidable challenge in deterring China and Russia as each presses its claims closer to home.
    — Michael Fuchs, Foreign Affairs, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of presses

Browse Nearby Words

squeeze plays
squeezes
squeezes off
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Cite this Entry

“Squeezes.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/squeezes. Accessed 16 Aug. 2026.

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More from Merriam-Webster on squeezes

Nglish: Translation of squeezes for Spanish Speakers

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