squeeze
To apply pressure from two or more sides at onceTo apply pressure (to something) from two or more sides at once.
Recorded US: Dvortygirl, CC BY-SA 3.0, Wikimedia Commons
» Tom squeezed himself through the narrow door.
Том протиснувся крізь вузькі двері. — deniko
CK · Tatoeba · CC BY 2.0 FRMeaning
8 senses(ambitransitive)To apply pressure (to something) from two or more sides at once.
I squeezed the ball between my hands.
Please don't squeeze the toothpaste tube in the middle.
drücken, klemmen, pressen
сжима́тьsžimátʹ, сжатьsžatʹ, сда́вливатьsdávlivatʹ
стиска́тиstyskáty, сти́скуватиstýskuvaty, сти́снутиstýsnuty
(transitive)To embrace closely; to give a tight hug to.
(ambitransitive)To fit into a tight place.
I managed to squeeze the car into that parking space.
Can you squeeze through that gap?
quetschen, zwängen
вти́скиватьvtískivatʹ, вти́снутьvtísnutʹ, впи́хиватьvpíxivatʹ
squeeze like a wedge into a tight space
(transitive)To remove something with difficulty, or apparent difficulty.
He squeezed some money out of his wallet.
выжима́тьvyžimátʹ, вы́жатьvýžatʹ, выда́вливатьvydávlivatʹ
(intransitive)To barely manage to.
I managed to squeeze through the exam with a D.
(transitive)To put in a difficult position by presenting two or more choices.
I'm being squeezed between my job and my volunteer work.
(figuratively, transitive)To oppress with hardships, burdens, or taxes; to harass.
(transitive)To attempt to score a runner from third by bunting.
Jones squeezed in Smith with a perfect bunt.
Examples
236 sentencesTom squeezed himself through the narrow door.
Том протиснувся крізь вузькі двері. — deniko
The girl squeezed her doll affectionately.
She squeezed a lemon for tea.
Tom squeezed this orange juice himself.
ruТом сам выжал этот апельсиновый сок. — odexed
deTom hat diesen Orangensaft selbst gepresst. — pullnosemans
I love freshly-squeezed orange juice.
Translations
9 languagesBy meaning 1
By meaning 3
By meaning 2
Origin
From earlier squize, squise (whence also dialectal English squizzen and squeege), first atFrom 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”).
Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0 · source
Forms
squeezes, squeezing, squeezed, squeezedPhrasal verbs
6 phrasal verbs- squeeze outвичавити, вичавлюватиUsed other than figuratively or idiomatically: see squeeze, out.
- squeeze upTo move closer together, in order to make more space for someone else.
- squeeze offTo fire (a shot or shots) by pulling the trigger of a firearm.
- squeeze inTo find time or other resources for.
- squeeze intoTo go into (a cramped space); to barely fit into.
- squeeze underTo get past an obstruction by going underneath, although with difficulty
Synonyms
30 synonyms- squeeze tightly between the fingers:pinchtwingetweetniptwitch
- squeeze like a wedge into a tight space:wedgeforce
- obtain by coercion or intimidation:extortrackgougewring
- squeeze or press together:compressconstrictcompactcontractpress
- to cause to do through pressure or necessity, by physical, moral or intellectual means:coercehalepressureforce
- hold (someone) tightly in your arms, usually with fondness:embracehugbosom
Word family
25 related wordsLessons for this word
3 lessons- A1Present simple — Because it is a verb
- A1Past simple, irregular verbs — Because of its past form
- A2Present perfect: introduction — Because of its past participle
See also
neighbours in the dictionaryDictionary text adapted from Wiktionary (Wiktionary contributors, CC BY-SA 4.0) and Open English WordNet / Princeton WordNet (CC BY 4.0, WordNet License); shared under CC BY-SA 4.0. Example sentences and recordings are credited where they appear.