1
a
: the burden of physical or mental distress
b
: the constraint of circumstance : the weight of social or economic imposition
2
: the application of force to something by something else in direct contact with it : compression
3
archaic
: impression, stamp
4
a
: the action of a force against an opposing force
b
: the force or thrust exerted over a surface divided by its area
5
: the stress or urgency of matters demanding attention : exigency
people who work well under pressure
6
: the force of selection that results from one or more agents and tends to reduce a population of organisms
population pressure
predation pressure
7
: the pressure exerted in every direction by the weight of the atmosphere
8
: a sensation aroused by moderate compression of a body part or surface
pressureless
adjective
pressured; pressuring
ˈpre-sh(ə-)riŋ 
Synonyms
Examples of pressure in a Sentence
Noun
Apply pressure to the wound to stop the bleeding.
the pressure of the compressed air inside the chamber
The animal's jaws can exert a pressure of more than 750 pounds per square inch.
The horse will respond to the slightest pressure of a rider's knee.
The fruit yields to gentle pressure when it's ripe.
the normal air pressure at sea level
He gave in to the social pressures to act and dress like everybody else.
She felt a constant pressure to earn more money.
Verb
his father pressured him to go out for the swim team
Recent Examples on the Web
Journal Sentinel, 22 Apr. 2024
Biden has faced increasing pressure from young voters and the left flank of his party over his unwavering support of Israel's war in Gaza following the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel.
—USA TODAY, 22 Apr. 2024
The Hornets can use Mann in a variety of lineup combinations with Ball eventually to see what kind of pressure that puts on the defense.
—Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 22 Apr. 2024
Britain’s position on the Israel-Gaza war mirrors that of the United States, and Labour has stayed largely in sync with the Conservatives, despite pressure from its left wing to take a harder line on Israel.
—Mark Landler, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2024
There will be many pressures mounting upon you now.
—Kyle Thomas, Peoplemag, 21 Apr. 2024
Ethan Schiefelbein, tuning up for the pressure of the Southern Section Division 1 playoffs, gave up five hits, struck out four and walked one.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2024
These controls give the operator the ability to adjust the angle, pressure and spacing of its plows.
—Jacob Spetzler, The Denver Post, 19 Apr. 2024
Persistent inflationary pressures remain with continual deficit spending, re-militarization of the world, restructuring of global trade, imposition of expensive green energy costs all compounding long-term inflation.
—Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Apr. 2024
David V. Gioe, Foreign Affairs, 23 Apr. 2024
Wallace felt that the village government, propped up by the railroad, had chosen to stop asking questions, and was pressuring residents to move back and move on.
—E. Tammy Kim, The New Yorker, 19 Apr. 2024
Felix claimed that Nike had been pressuring her to return to training as quickly as possible after her pregnancy and offered her a salary that was 70 percent less than her previous compensation.
—Hannah Sacks, Peoplemag, 18 Apr. 2024
Among them is the accusation that Live Nation has pressured concert venues into using Ticketmaster over other ticketing systems — an anti-competition allegation that nearly led the DOJ to sue Live Nation in 2019.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 16 Apr. 2024
Former prime minister Boris Johnson — who has occupied himself with a newspaper column and speaking gigs since being pressured out of Parliament — pointed to the tobacco ban as a prime example of what’s wrong with his Conservative Party right now.
—William Booth, Washington Post, 16 Apr. 2024
The measure is nearly identical to a proposal that the governing Georgian Dream party was pressured to withdraw a year ago after large street protests.
—Bradford Betz, Fox News, 15 Apr. 2024
But when the Senate passed a bipartisan aid bill that included strong border reforms, Donald Trump pressured most GOP senators to oppose it.
—Trudy Rubin, Twin Cities, 12 Apr. 2024
Israeli authorities insist that the bottlenecks are a result of failures by the United Nations and NGOs, while critics accuse Israel of using food as a tool to pressure Gaza’s population and Hamas.
—Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2024
Noun
The housing authority's leaders have faced mounting public pressure in the last year to improve maintenance and security at these properties.
—Journal Sentinel, 22 Apr. 2024
Biden has faced increasing pressure from young voters and the left flank of his party over his unwavering support of Israel's war in Gaza following the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel.
—USA TODAY, 22 Apr. 2024
The Hornets can use Mann in a variety of lineup combinations with Ball eventually to see what kind of pressure that puts on the defense.
—Roderick Boone, Charlotte Observer, 22 Apr. 2024
Britain’s position on the Israel-Gaza war mirrors that of the United States, and Labour has stayed largely in sync with the Conservatives, despite pressure from its left wing to take a harder line on Israel.
—Mark Landler, New York Times, 21 Apr. 2024
There will be many pressures mounting upon you now.
—Kyle Thomas, Peoplemag, 21 Apr. 2024
Ethan Schiefelbein, tuning up for the pressure of the Southern Section Division 1 playoffs, gave up five hits, struck out four and walked one.
—Eric Sondheimer, Los Angeles Times, 20 Apr. 2024
These controls give the operator the ability to adjust the angle, pressure and spacing of its plows.
—Jacob Spetzler, The Denver Post, 19 Apr. 2024
Persistent inflationary pressures remain with continual deficit spending, re-militarization of the world, restructuring of global trade, imposition of expensive green energy costs all compounding long-term inflation.
—Phillip Molnar, San Diego Union-Tribune, 19 Apr. 2024
Verb
Stevenson’s revelations marked a turning point in the crisis, providing undeniable evidentiary support to the Kennedy administration’s allegations, shifting global opinion, and pressuring the Soviets to de-escalate by isolating them diplomatically.
—David V. Gioe, Foreign Affairs, 23 Apr. 2024
Wallace felt that the village government, propped up by the railroad, had chosen to stop asking questions, and was pressuring residents to move back and move on.
—E. Tammy Kim, The New Yorker, 19 Apr. 2024
Felix claimed that Nike had been pressuring her to return to training as quickly as possible after her pregnancy and offered her a salary that was 70 percent less than her previous compensation.
—Hannah Sacks, Peoplemag, 18 Apr. 2024
Among them is the accusation that Live Nation has pressured concert venues into using Ticketmaster over other ticketing systems — an anti-competition allegation that nearly led the DOJ to sue Live Nation in 2019.
—Jon Blistein, Rolling Stone, 16 Apr. 2024
Former prime minister Boris Johnson — who has occupied himself with a newspaper column and speaking gigs since being pressured out of Parliament — pointed to the tobacco ban as a prime example of what’s wrong with his Conservative Party right now.
—William Booth, Washington Post, 16 Apr. 2024
The measure is nearly identical to a proposal that the governing Georgian Dream party was pressured to withdraw a year ago after large street protests.
—Bradford Betz, Fox News, 15 Apr. 2024
But when the Senate passed a bipartisan aid bill that included strong border reforms, Donald Trump pressured most GOP senators to oppose it.
—Trudy Rubin, Twin Cities, 12 Apr. 2024
Israeli authorities insist that the bottlenecks are a result of failures by the United Nations and NGOs, while critics accuse Israel of using food as a tool to pressure Gaza’s population and Hamas.
—Ahmed Fouad Alkhatib, The Atlantic, 10 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pressure.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Dictionary Entries Near pressure
Cite this Entry
“Pressure.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pressure. Accessed 26 Apr. 2024.
Copy CitationKids Definition
pressure
1 of 2 noun
pres·sure
ˈpresh-ər
1
: a force or influence that cannot be avoided
social pressure
2
: the application of force to something by something else in direct contact with it
keep steady pressure on the gas pedal
3
a
: the action of a force against an opposing force
b
: the force applied over a surface divided by its area
c
: the force exerted as a result of the weight of the atmosphere
4
: the stress or burden of matters demanding attention
works well under pressure
Medical Definition
pressure
noun
pres·sure
ˈpresh-ər
1
: the burden of mental or physical distress especially from grief, illness, or adversity
2
: the application of force to something by something else in direct contact with it : compression
3
a
: the action of a force against some opposing force : a force in the nature of a thrust distributed over a surface
b
: the force or thrust exerted over a surface divided by the area of the surface
6
: a touch sensation aroused by moderate compression of the skin
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