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
Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 1 May 2026
Concacaf is not the only confederation squeezing games into FIFA windows around the club calendar.
—Tamerra Griffin, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2026
Lucas Robinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 May 2026
Prices for everything are higher, squeezing already tight budgets to the breaking point, with no end in sight.
—The Virginian Pilot and Daily Press Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 3 May 2026
This demand is squeezing consumer device makers, which are having trouble acquiring enough chips.
—Vidya Mani, The Conversation, 1 May 2026
Shippers, energy producers, and the governments of the Gulf petrostates are planning to recalibrate by holding excess supplies in case of shocks rather than squeezing efficiencies from just-in-time supply chains.
—Jonathan Lemire, The Atlantic, 30 Apr. 2026
From truckers to commuters, gasoline prices are squeezing budgets across the country.
—Jessica Guynn, USA Today, 29 Apr. 2026
The university is scheduled to replace the turf in July, squeezing into a tight window of summer events.
—Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 29 Apr. 2026
The standout point from the opening 45 minutes is that PSG have to be better against Bayern’s press — arguably these are Europe’s two best sides for squeezing and smothering opponents.
—Liam Tharme, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2026
Governor Moore pointed to the financial pressure already squeezing working families and argued that new technology should not become another tool for squeezing them harder.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 27 Apr. 2026
Noun
But for all its utility, ordinary squeezing is a relatively simple, second-order effect.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 1 May 2026
Concacaf is not the only confederation squeezing games into FIFA windows around the club calendar.
—Tamerra Griffin, New York Times, 13 Mar. 2026
Verb
Gas prices, housing costs and groceries are squeezing people who are working hard yet still falling behind.
—Lucas Robinson, San Diego Union-Tribune, 8 May 2026
Prices for everything are higher, squeezing already tight budgets to the breaking point, with no end in sight.
—The Virginian Pilot and Daily Press Editorial Board, The Orlando Sentinel, 3 May 2026
This demand is squeezing consumer device makers, which are having trouble acquiring enough chips.
—Vidya Mani, The Conversation, 1 May 2026
Shippers, energy producers, and the governments of the Gulf petrostates are planning to recalibrate by holding excess supplies in case of shocks rather than squeezing efficiencies from just-in-time supply chains.
—Jonathan Lemire, The Atlantic, 30 Apr. 2026
From truckers to commuters, gasoline prices are squeezing budgets across the country.
—Jessica Guynn, USA Today, 29 Apr. 2026
The university is scheduled to replace the turf in July, squeezing into a tight window of summer events.
—Shaun Goodwin, Idaho Statesman, 29 Apr. 2026
The standout point from the opening 45 minutes is that PSG have to be better against Bayern’s press — arguably these are Europe’s two best sides for squeezing and smothering opponents.
—Liam Tharme, New York Times, 28 Apr. 2026
Governor Moore pointed to the financial pressure already squeezing working families and argued that new technology should not become another tool for squeezing them harder.
—Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 27 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for squeezing
Noun
-
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
-
The NeeDoh lineup includes the NeeDoh Nice Cube, NeeDoh Gumdrop, NeeDoh Gummy Bear, NeeDoh Snow Ball and NeeDoh Dohjees — each offering a different squeeze experience.—
Samantha Agate,
Charlotte Observer,
6 May 2026
Verb
-
Akiira’Ley Vazquez went the distance while striking out 11 as well as crushing two home runs and driving in four as Greater New Bedford topped Old Rochester 10-2 in South Coast Conference action.—
Brendan Connelly,
Boston Herald,
8 May 2026
-
When Rushing was dominating his final season at Louisville, crushing 23 home runs in just 64 games, the Dodgers coveted him ahead of the 2022 MLB Draft.—
Fabian Ardaya,
New York Times,
8 May 2026
Verb
-
If a dozen new works over four days isn’t enough, try cramming 50 plays by 50 playwrights into a single day.—
Jed Gottlieb,
Boston Herald,
1 May 2026
-
The Halfday Convertible 2-in-1 Garment Duffel Bag will help avoid cramming extra clothes into your main bag, which usually leads to everything getting messy and disorganized.—
Rosie Marder,
Travel + Leisure,
30 Apr. 2026
Verb
-
Poorer households, defined as those earning less than $40,000, cut their gas consumption by 7%, the report found, but still spent 12% more on gas in March.—
Christopher Rugaber,
Los Angeles Times,
7 May 2026
-
To tow the car five miles and hold it at a towing site cost $430, which if someone is earning only the minimum wage is a lot of money.—
Jemma Stephenson,
San Diego Union-Tribune,
7 May 2026
Verb
-
The coaches association wants to fix this by ending conference championship games and compressing the break between the end of the regular season and the start of the playoff.—
Ian Miller OutKick,
FOXNews.com,
7 May 2026
-
Machine learning has been around for compressing content to high-res content.—
Dewayne Bevil,
The Orlando Sentinel,
6 May 2026
Verb
-
Which is why Hailey Bieber’s bright white, electric G-Wagon is parked just feet away from the office bullpen, where 20-something staffers of the full-service production company are plucking away at their computers.—
Lucy Feldman,
Time,
6 May 2026
-
But Norris wasn’t far behind, plucking off the Dutchman before focusing on Antonelli.—
Madeline Coleman,
New York Times,
3 May 2026
Verb
-
Schumer also vowed Democrats will use other tools to fight the ballroom spending, which the White House says is strictly for security enhancements, including by pushing the Senate parliamentarian to strike the ballroom money from the budget bill.—
Dave Goldiner,
New York Daily News,
11 May 2026
-
Ilango’s approach gets around limitations of zero-knowledge proofs that researchers have long thought insurmountable, pushing the boundaries of what such a proof can be.—
Ben Brubaker,
Quanta Magazine,
11 May 2026
Noun
-
He was seen without a knee brace or compression sleeve.—
David Furones,
Sun Sentinel,
8 May 2026
-
Heavy compression, thick waistbands, and dense fabrics often trapped heat instead of helping regulate it, so adding an extra layer in peak summer rarely felt appealing.—
Malana VanTyler,
Miami Herald,
6 May 2026
Cite this Entry
“Squeezing.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/squeezing. Accessed 13 May. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
