squeeze

SKWEEZ/skwiːz/

21 meanings of squeeze

1
verbtransitive
To press something hard from two or more sides at the same time.
Squeeze the bottle to get the last of the ketchup out.
She squeezed the wet sponge until all the water ran out.
Similarpress, grip, compress, pinch, clutch
Oppositerelease
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2
verbtransitive or intransitive
To fit into a small or tight space, often with effort.
Four of us had to squeeze into the back seat of the car.
The cat squeezed under the porch to get out of the rain.
Similarcram, crowd, pack, jam, wedge
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3
verbtransitive
To hug someone in a close, tight way.
Grandma squeezed me so hard I could barely breathe.
Come here and let me squeeze you before you leave.
Similarhug, embrace, clasp
4
nouncountable
A tight hug, or a friendly press of someone's hand or arm.
Mom gave me a big squeeze before I got on the bus.
He held her hand and gave it a gentle squeeze.
Similarhug, embrace, clasp, cuddle
5
nouncountable
One act of pressing something from two or more sides.
Give the bottle a quick squeeze to get the soap out.
One more squeeze and the lemon was empty.
Similarpress, pinch, grip, clutch
6
nouncountable
A very tight fit in a small space.
Getting the couch through that doorway was a tight squeeze.
Five people in that little car will be a squeeze.
Similarcrush, squash
7
nounfigurativelycountable
A difficult situation where someone feels pressure from more than one side.
Like being stuck between two walls that are slowly moving closer together.
With rent going up and her work hours cut, she was in a real squeeze.
The store was in a squeeze after its costs rose but its prices stayed the same.
Similarbind, fix, jam, spot, predicament
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8
verbtransitive
To get something out of a person or thing when it is hard to do.
She squeezed the last bit of toothpaste out of the tube.
The reporter tried to squeeze an answer out of the mayor.
Similarextract, wring, wrest, force, coax
9
verbtransitive
To put someone in a hard position by leaving them only difficult choices.
The new rules squeeze small farmers, who must either expand or sell.
Her boss squeezed her by offering only a transfer or a pay cut.
Similarpressure, corner, pinch
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10
verbfigurativelytransitive
To make life hard for people with heavy taxes, unfair demands, or constant trouble.
The king squeezed the farmers with higher and higher taxes.
Some landlords squeeze tenants with extra fees and sudden rent increases.
Similaroppress, bleed, milk, fleece, exploit
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11
nounslangcountable
An informal word for a boyfriend, girlfriend, or other romantic partner.
Is that her new squeeze over there by the snack table?
He brought his squeeze to the party so everyone could meet her.
Similarflame, sweetheart, partner, beau, date
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12
nouncountable
A trip through a very narrow space, such as a tight gap in a cave.
Like pushing your body through a gap that is almost too small.
The last squeeze in the cave was so tight we had to crawl on our stomachs.
After a long squeeze between the rocks, the tunnel opened into a big room.
Similarconstriction
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13
nouncountable
A copy of a design or writing made by pressing wet paper onto it and peeling the paper off when dry.
Like pressing soft clay onto a coin to copy its picture.
The museum worker made a squeeze of the old stone carving with wet paper.
When the paper dried, the squeeze showed every letter from the monument.
Similarimpression
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14
nouncountable
In baseball, a soft hit made on purpose so the player on third base can run home and score.
The coach called for a squeeze, and the runner raced home from third base.
Their squeeze worked perfectly, and the team scored the winning run.
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15
verbtransitive
In baseball, to try to bring a runner home from third base by making a soft, short hit.
The coach decided to squeeze the runner home in the last inning.
He tapped the ball softly toward first base and squeezed home the runner from third.
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16
nouncountable
In card games, a play that forces another player to throw away a card they need to win.
Like making someone drop one thing because their hands are too full to hold everything.
Her clever squeeze left him with no good card to play at the end.
He set up a squeeze so his opponent had to let go of a winning card.
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17
noundatedcountable
A situation where someone in the middle is pushed hard from both sides, often about money.
The shop owner felt the squeeze when suppliers raised prices but customers refused to pay more.
Thus was established a powerful Chinese combination, which maintained itself by submitting to a heavy "squeeze" at the hands of the Viceroy and Governor of Canton on the one hand and of the Hoppo on the other.
1898, Archibald R. Colquhoun, China in TransformationHere, squeeze means pressure on a middleman from two sides, usually over money.
Similarpinch, bind
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18
noundatedcountable or uncountable
Extra money that a middleman unfairly demands before they will let a deal go through.
The merchants had to pay a squeeze before their goods could leave the port.
They were no colonists; their administration was merely a squeeze, and nothing more, I suspect.
1899, Joseph Conrad, “The Heart of Darkness”Here, squeeze means taking bribes or unfair fees from people.
Similarbribe, kickback, cut, commission, graft
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19
noununcountable
The slow closing of tunnels in a mine as the heavy rock above presses down.
Like a hole in wet sand that slowly fills in from the sides.
Miners noticed the squeeze when the tunnel roof began to sink toward the floor.
The old shaft was lost to a squeeze years after the mine closed.
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20
nounslanguncountable
An illegal drink made by taking the alcohol out of canned cooking fuel and adding fruit juice.
During hard times, some men drank squeeze because real liquor cost too much.
He got sick after a night of cheap squeeze behind the rail yard.
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21
nounobsoleteUK
Someone's neck.
The thief wore a bright scarf wound twice around his squeeze.
"Got his description putty close: Short black 'air, black whiskers, with a crips^([sic]) curl at the hedges; a white choker, tight round his squeeze; dressed in black, and orful hugly," remarked the policeman.
1860, The London JournalHere, squeeze means a person's neck.
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Practice

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Origin

First seen around 1600, from earlier "squize"/"squise". Its deeper origin is uncertain, but it is probably a changed form of "quease", which came from Old English "cwȳsan" meaning "to crush or squeeze".