squeez´er

squeeze «skweez», verb, squeezed, squeez|ing, noun.

–v.t.

1. to press hard; compress: »

to squeeze a sponge or a lemon. Don't squeeze the kitten, or you will hurt it.

2. a) to hug; embrace: »

She squeezed her child.

SYNONYM(S): clasp. b) to press (the hand) in friendship or affection. SYNONYM(S): clasp.

3. to force by pressing; thrust or cause to pass forcibly: »

to squeeze oneself through a narrow opening. I can't squeeze another thing into my trunk.

4. to force out or extract by pressure; cause to ooze or flow out by or as if by pressing: »

to squeeze juice from a lemon. Lady Kew could…squeeze out a tear over a good novel too (Thackeray).

5. to get by force, pressure, or effort; extort: »

The dictator squeezed money from the people. When it comes to squeezing a profit out of you... (Dickens).

6. Informal, Figurative. to put pressure on or try to influence (a person or persons) to do something, especially to pay money: »

The blackmailer squeezed his victim for more money.

7. Figurative. to burden or oppress: »

Heavy taxes squeezed the people.

8. to make a facsimile impression of.

9. Bridge. to compel (an opponent) to discard or unguard a winning card.

–v.i.

1. to yield to pressure: »

Sponges squeeze easily.

2. to force a way: »

He squeezed through the crowd.

3. to press hard; exert pressure, especially with the hand: »

to squeeze on the tube until some toothpaste comes out.

–n.

1. the act of squeezing; tight pressure: »

She gave her sister's arm a squeeze.

2. the state of being squeezed: »

Her squeeze was severe enough to make her get a loan.

3. a friendly or affectionate pressing: »

a squeeze of the hand.

4. a hug; close embrace.

5. a crush; crowd: »

It's a tight squeeze to get five people in that little car.

6. a small quantity or amount squeezed out.

7. an impression of an inscription, design, or the like, made by pressing a plastic substance around or over it.

8. Informal, Figurative. a situation from which escape is difficult, as when a retailer is caught between low prices and high costs: »

a cost-price squeeze.

9. Informal, Figurative. pressure used to extort a favor, influence, or money.

10. a squeeze play in baseball or bridge.

11. a shortage or the intense competition resulting from this: »

Top manufacturers in all categories are warning that there will be a squeeze on desirable merchandise…this fall and winter (New York Times).

12. the act or state of forcing a short seller to pay a high price, as for securities.

╂[apparently variant of dialectal squize, squiss, and quease; all perhaps ultimately Old English cw]

–squeez´er, noun.