as in squeeze
the act or process of reducing the size or volume of something by or as if by pressing
the tight squeezing of his hands on hers made her face turn red
Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
1
as in crushing
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
as in cramming
to fit (people or things) into a tight space
I think we can squeeze a bit more into the washing machine
Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in earning
to get with great difficulty
managed to squeeze a living by cleaning houses
Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in compressing
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
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in plucking
to rob by the use of trickery or threats
the mob squeezes all the local merchants by threatening violence
Synonyms & Similar Words
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 squeezing
Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 6 Oct. 2025
Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 16 Feb. 2026
Instead, 2026 is about building both stylish and sensible outfits that can take you from the airport to the streets with maximum versatility without ever squeezing into tight, form-fitting fabric.
—Merrell Readman, Travel + Leisure, 15 Feb. 2026
Wall Street analysts and executives fear that squeezing credit card issuers like Capital One will reduce their incentive to lend, ultimately cutting off credit access for lower-income households that need it most.
—Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 13 Feb. 2026
Some of the stuff that has been hard and squeezing artists to some degree.
—Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 13 Feb. 2026
That requires that the drug companies be less greedy in squeezing the state’s Medicaid program.
—Livi Stanford, Hartford Courant, 12 Feb. 2026
Concern is also growing over how salaries have lagged behind inflation, shriveling in value and squeezing household budgets.
—Isabel Debre, Fortune, 11 Feb. 2026
For generations, Americans who wanted orange juice without the work of squeezing fresh fruit cracked open a can and watched a cylinder of frozen juice go ker-plunk into a pitcher.
—Dee-Ann Durbin, Chicago Tribune, 4 Feb. 2026
With that, Shaboozey broke down, squeezing the bridge of his nose to suppress tears.
—Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 2 Feb. 2026
Noun
Hassan’s team instead squeezed a photon’s intensity and demonstrated real-time control, fluctuating between intensity and phase-squeezing by adjusting the silica’s position relative to the beams.
—Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 6 Oct. 2025
Verb
The fall was aided by the cooling prices of gasoline, eggs, and beef, but rising costs for consumer goods like apparel, computers, and airfares suggest tariffs are still squeezing household budgets.
—Prashant Rao, semafor.com, 16 Feb. 2026
Instead, 2026 is about building both stylish and sensible outfits that can take you from the airport to the streets with maximum versatility without ever squeezing into tight, form-fitting fabric.
—Merrell Readman, Travel + Leisure, 15 Feb. 2026
Wall Street analysts and executives fear that squeezing credit card issuers like Capital One will reduce their incentive to lend, ultimately cutting off credit access for lower-income households that need it most.
—Morgan Chittum, CNBC, 13 Feb. 2026
Some of the stuff that has been hard and squeezing artists to some degree.
—Charlie Warzel, The Atlantic, 13 Feb. 2026
That requires that the drug companies be less greedy in squeezing the state’s Medicaid program.
—Livi Stanford, Hartford Courant, 12 Feb. 2026
Concern is also growing over how salaries have lagged behind inflation, shriveling in value and squeezing household budgets.
—Isabel Debre, Fortune, 11 Feb. 2026
For generations, Americans who wanted orange juice without the work of squeezing fresh fruit cracked open a can and watched a cylinder of frozen juice go ker-plunk into a pitcher.
—Dee-Ann Durbin, Chicago Tribune, 4 Feb. 2026
With that, Shaboozey broke down, squeezing the bridge of his nose to suppress tears.
—Melissa Ruggieri, USA Today, 2 Feb. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for squeezing
Noun
-
Namely, the creamy remoulade that also stars Duke’s, plus briny capers, savory anchovies and Worcestershire sauce, zippy mustard, and a squeeze of lemon juice to brighten things up.—
Karla Walsh,
Southern Living,
13 Feb. 2026
-
Binoche plays a quite ordinary woman caught in the quite familiar squeeze of midlife.—
Scott Roxborough,
HollywoodReporter,
13 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Safeguarding athletes But what about junior- and novice-level skaters, including those not even teenagers yet, who may get to revel in the soaring highs of hearing a good score but must also suffer through the soul-crushing lows of hearing a poor one?—
Dave Skretta,
Chicago Tribune,
15 Feb. 2026
-
It was led by Yoshiko Noda, a staid veteran politician, who briefly served as an undistinguished prime minister in 2012 and led his party to a crushing defeat at the hands of Shinzo Abe and the LDP.—
Jeff Kingston,
Time,
15 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Each story unfolds at a rapid pace, bouncing between provocative shots of eccentric people and cramming two distinct sets of warring neighbors into each half-hour episode.—
Ben Travers,
IndieWire,
13 Feb. 2026
-
With the current contact period, during which coaches can visit recruits, ending Saturday and the following period not starting until mid-April, his team was busy booking charter flights and cramming seven days' worth of visits into four or five days.—
Doug Gollan,
Forbes.com,
29 Jan. 2026
Verb
-
The announcement adds to a slate of MileagePlus changes that tie perks and earning power to credit-card relationships.—
Sri Taylor,
Chicago Tribune,
19 Feb. 2026
-
Now, Riyadh hosts music concerts, desert raves, and a store where non-Muslims earning more than $159,000 a year are allowed to buy alcohol.—
Matthew Martin,
semafor.com,
19 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Goldman Sachs here plots the relative valuation of asset-light over asset-heavy companies, compressing toward zero.—
Michael Santoli,
CNBC,
16 Feb. 2026
-
Traveling at Mach 5 or faster, these systems can cross vast distances in minutes, drastically compressing response times and challenging existing missile defense architectures.—
Chris Young,
Interesting Engineering,
11 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
Broten remembers Pavelich plucking his guitar and singing Neil Young songs on bus rides.—
Stephen Whyno,
Twin Cities,
10 Feb. 2026
-
According to its website, Butcher & Singer is an homage to the glitz and class of 1940s Hollywood, reaching into the past, plucking the best and brightest aspects of a bygone era.—
Courtney Cherry,
CBS News,
6 Feb. 2026
Verb
-
During ultra-fast impacts, the metal’s atoms oscillate so vigorously that these physically obstruct the path of deformation, pushing back against the incoming force.—
Mrigakshi Dixit,
Interesting Engineering,
16 Feb. 2026
-
Just as the Dow Jones Industrial Average neared the 50,000 milestone in early January, a producer called to interview me about what was pushing stocks higher.—
Jill Schlesinger,
Mercury News,
16 Feb. 2026
Noun
-
The three compressions are Spanxsmooth Swim, which is light compression for barely there smoothing; Spanxshape Swim, medium compression for a little more tummy control and shaping, and Spanxsculpt Swim, strong compression that cinches and snatches.—
Lisa Lockwood,
Footwear News,
11 Feb. 2026
-
The subtle compression feels supportive without being restrictive, making long flights and layovers way more comfortable.—
Chaise Sanders,
Travel + Leisure,
10 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Squeezing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/squeezing. Accessed 21 Feb. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
