26984 words

squeeze

17 definitions • 38 examples
1
to press something firmly, especially from all sides in order to change its shape, reduce its size, or remove liquid from it:

Examples:

Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice into the bowl.
As she waited to go into the exam, he squeezed her hand (= pressed it affectionately with his hand) and wished her good luck.
squeeze something out Once he had finished cleaning the floor, he squeezed the cloth out.
squeeze the trigger He reloaded the gun, took aim, and then squeezed (= pulled back) the trigger.
squeeze something from something figurative The studio is using all sorts of marketing tricks to squeeze as much profit from the movie as they can.
2
to give someone a quick, tight hug (= an act of holding someone close to your body with your arms):

Examples:

She squeezed him tight and kissed him on both cheeks.
"Oh, Andrew," she said, as she squeezed him in her tight embrace.
3
to get in, through, under, etc. with difficulty:

Examples:

squeeze through She squeezed through the crowd and found a seat at the front.
squeeze under They managed to squeeze under the fence and get into the festival without paying.
4
If you are squeezed by financial demands, they cause you financial problems:

Examples:

5
the act of pressing something firmly:

Examples:

She gave the present a quick squeeze and tried to guess what was inside.
Garnish the fish with some fresh parsley and a squeeze of lemon.
6
a short, tight hug (= an act of holding someone close to your body with your arms):

Examples:

She hugged him in a gentle squeeze.
He gave his daughter one last squeeze and jumped onto the train.
7

Examples:

squeeze on The squeeze on profits in the oil industry has led to thousands of redundancies.
The squeeze on local spending means that many services will have to be cut.
8
a period in which the supply of money is limited by the government because of economic difficulties:

Examples:

credit squeeze The government has imposed a sharp credit squeeze in an attempt to hold down inflation.
9
a situation in which people or things are pushed or forced into a small space:

Examples:

tight squeeze I can give you a lift, but it'll be a tight squeeze as I'm taking four other people as well.
10
someone's girlfriend or boyfriend:

Examples:

She turned up arm in arm with her latest squeeze.
She was never his squeeze, only his business partner.
11
to press something firmly, or to force something out, esp. a liquid, by pressing:

Examples:

Bake for 15 minutes, then squeeze the cloves to get the softened garlic out.
I squeezed her shoulder (= pressed it affectionately with a hand).
12
to force someone or something into a small space or a short period of time:

Examples:

[ I ] I’m just not able to squeeze into last year’s swimsuit.
[ T ] She’s asking me to squeeze a shopping trip into my day off.
[ M ] You can squeeze in six people at the table.
13
the act of pressing something firmly:

Examples:

I gave his shoulder a squeeze.
fig. State parks will feel the squeeze from budget cuts (= the cuts will have a limiting effect).
14
the act of forcing someone or something into a small space, often by pushing or pressing:

Examples:

It’ll be a tight squeeze with four other people in the car, but I’ll give you a lift.
15
to reduce the amount of money that a person, company, or government can spend or earn:

Examples:

16
to reduce the number of things that are produced or sold:

Examples:

squeeze supplies/exports European exports have been squeezed by the cheap dollar and equally cheap Chinese yuan.
17
a large reduction in the amount of money that a person, company, or government can spend or earn:

Examples:

a budget/spending/cash squeeze Hard choices have to be made during a budget squeeze.
a squeeze on sth A squeeze on earnings is expected to be highlighted in official labour market figures this week.
put a/the squeeze on sb/sth Competition from discount operations is putting the squeeze on mid-market chains.
a squeeze in margins/markets/profits A squeeze in the global credit market has forced the company to scrap plans to sell its US drinks division.
feel/face a squeeze A series of reports last week suggests that financial institutions will feel the squeeze on their balance sheets well into next year.

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