squeeze
Forms
- present (v1)
- squeeze
- past (v2)
- squeezed
- past participle (v3)
- squeezed
- present participle
- squeezing
- 3rd person singular
- squeezes
- Plural
- squeezes
Definitions
1.To apply pressure to from two or more sides at once.
- I squeezed the ball between my hands.
- Please don't squeeze the toothpaste tube in the middle.
- "Over there, by the rock," Steele muttered, with his brush between his teeth, squeezing out raw sienna, and keeping his eyes fixed on Betty Flanders's back.
2.To embrace closely; to give a tight hug to.
3.To fit into a tight place.
- Can you squeeze through that gap?
- I squeezed myself through the crowd.
- I managed to squeeze the car into that parking space.
4.To remove something with difficulty, or apparent difficulty.
- He squeezed some money out of his wallet.
1.An instance of squeezing.
2.A close or tight fit.
3.A difficult position.
- I'm in a tight squeeze right now when it comes to my free time.
- There is a growing recognition that, as the population ages and the squeeze on NHS resources continues, better ways of supporting older people outside hospital need to be developed.
4.A hug or other affectionate grasp.
Frequency
Overall
Uncommon· #3391
By learning goal
- Everyday conversation
- Rare
- General reading & writing
- Uncommon
- Academic
- Rare
- Literature
- Uncommon
Etymology
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”).