squeeze
- 01 B1 Intermediate
v.to press something firmly from different sides with your fingers or hands.
v.to apply pressure to an object from two or more sides simultaneously, often to change its shape or extract contents.
Simple“You need to squeeze the lemon over the fish to add some flavour.”
In context“The therapist instructed the patient to squeeze the rubber ball repeatedly to rebuild strength in the small muscles of the hand.”
- 02 B1 Intermediate
v.to manage to get into or through a very small or crowded space.
v.to force oneself or an object into a confined space; often used with 'into' or 'through'.
Simple“We managed to squeeze six people into the small car for the short trip.”
In context“The hikers had to squeeze through a narrow cleft in the rock face to reach the hidden valley on the other side.”
- 03 B2 Upper Intermediate
v.to give someone a quick, tight hug to show you like them.
v.to embrace someone closely or firmly as a gesture of affection.
Simple“She gave her daughter a quick squeeze before she got on the school bus.”
In context“He squeezed her hand reassuringly as they waited for the doctor to announce the test results.”
- 04 C1 Advanced
n.a difficult situation where there is not enough money or space.
n.a period of economic or financial restriction where costs rise or credit becomes difficult to obtain.
Simple“Many families are feeling the squeeze because of rising food prices.”
In context“The central bank's decision to raise interest rates has put a significant squeeze on small businesses looking to expand.”
Synonyms - 05 C2 Proficiency
n.a person that someone is dating or in a relationship with.
n.a romantic partner or sweetheart; typically used in the phrase 'main squeeze'.
Simple“He brought his new squeeze to the party to meet his old friends.”
In context“Though he had been dating around for months, he finally introduced her to his parents as his main squeeze.”
Synonyms - 06 C2 Proficiency
n.when the roof or walls of a mine start to close in because of the weight of the earth.
n.the gradual closing of underground workings caused by the weight of overlying rock layers.
Simple“The miners had to leave the tunnel because they noticed a squeeze in the support beams.”
In context“Engineers monitored the squeeze in the lower shafts, concerned that the structural integrity of the mine was being compromised by the shifting strata.”
Synonyms
“Anna Bird, its chief executive, said parent-carers were being “squeezed from every direction: by the cost of living crisis, reduced services; and a support system that is increasingly confusing, fragmented and difficult to navigate”.”
“NASA engineers have found a clever way to squeeze more life out of Voyager 2, nearly half a century after it left Earth.”
From earlier squize, squise (whence also dialectal English squizzen and squeege), first attested around 1600, further origin uncertain; probably an alteration of quease (which is attested since 1550), from Middle English queisen (“to squeeze”), from Old English cwȳsan (“to crush, squeeze”), itself also of unknown origin, perhaps imitative (compare Swedish qväsa, kväsa (“to squeeze, bruise, crush; quell”), Dutch kwetsen (“to injure, hurt”), German quetschen (“to squeeze”)). Or, a blend of obsolete squiss (“to squeeze”) (whence also squash and squish) with quease. Compare also French esquicher from Old Occitan esquichar (“to press, squeeze”). The slang expression "to put the squeeze on (someone or something)", meaning "to exert influence", is from 1711. The baseball term "squeeze play" is first recorded 1905. "Main squeeze" ("most important person") is attested from 1896, the specific meaning "one's sweetheart, lover" is attested in 1970s. The nonstandard strong forms squoze and squozen, attested dialectally since at least the mid-19th century, are by analogy with freeze.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.