squeeze 1 of 2

verb

ˈskwēz How to pronounce squeeze (audio)
Definition of squeezenext
1
as in to crush
to apply external pressure on so as to force out the juice or contents of kept squeezing the bottle until the ketchup squirted all over the table

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance
2
as in to cram
to fit (people or things) into a tight space I think we can squeeze a bit more into the washing machine

Synonyms & Similar Words
3
as in to earn
to get with great difficulty managed to squeeze a living by cleaning houses

Synonyms & Similar Words
4
as in to compress
to reduce in size or volume by or as if by pressing parts or members together squeezed the blanket until it fit into the box

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
5
as in to pluck
to rob by the use of trickery or threats the mob squeezes all the local merchants by threatening violence

Synonyms & Similar Words
6
as in to push
to force one's way I was able to squeeze through the people clustered around the luggage carousel

Synonyms & Similar Words

squeeze

2 of 2

noun

1
as in squeezing
the act or process of reducing the size or volume of something by or as if by pressing he gave the plastic bag a squeeze and then folded it up for storage

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in darling
slang a person with whom one is in love she and her main squeeze are spending Valentine's Day at a romantic country inn

Synonyms & Similar Words

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of squeeze
Verb
So unless someone has figured out how to squeeze two professional basketball games onto the same court at the same time, something’s got to give. — Amber Harding Outkick, FOXNews.com, 25 Oct. 2026 One shopper managed to fit 16 days’ worth of clothes into a carry-on for a trip to Italy using the Bagsmart Compression Packing Cubes, which feature nearly two inches of compression to squeeze garments into a more compact bundle. — Julia Morlino, Travel + Leisure, 25 Oct. 2026
Noun
If price breaks above $600, shares clear a major hurdle and a quick pop — driven by a short squeeze and fast money playing the breakout — could follow. — Jay Woods, CNBC, 13 Oct. 2026 The financial squeeze has collided with an increasingly fragmented political system, creating opportunities for parties at both ends of the political spectrum to capitalize on public dissatisfaction. — Efrat Lachter, FOXNews.com, 10 Oct. 2026 See All Example Sentences for squeeze
Recent Examples of Synonyms for squeeze
  1. crush
  2. cram
  3. earn
  4. compress
  5. pluck
  6. push
  7. squeezing
  8. darling
Verb
  • Fish die by being crushed, by asphyxiation, or by barotrauma—when fish surface quickly, things sometimes go pop.
    — Zach Helfand, New Yorker, 23 Oct. 2026
  • Semiconductors have been crushed, down more than 15% this month.
    — Sarah Min, CNBC, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of crush
Verb
  • Her advice is to avoid cramming activations into the final two weeks before the festival.
    — Sujata Assomull, Vogue, 21 Oct. 2026
  • To Mooresville resident Lynne Taylor, cramming more homes into a town with notoriously clogged roads is a concern.
    — Joe Marusak, Charlotte Observer, 20 Oct. 2026
Definition of cram
Verb
  • The New York Red Bulls took advantage of an early own goal, added an Emil Forsberg score in second-half stoppage time and capitalized on a limited appearance by Lionel Messi to earn a crucial 2-0 victory over Inter Miami on Saturday.
    — Miami Herald, Miami Herald, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Prior to working in Hollywood, Atchity served as an assistant professor of English and comparative literature at Occidental College before earning tenure and becoming a full-time professor.
    — Tanya Fedak, Variety, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of earn
Verb
  • By adjusting the distance between the tips, the team could stretch or compress the molecular structure, changing the voltage at which the current enhancement began.
    — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 24 Oct. 2026
  • For everyday document management, AcePDF can merge or split files, rotate or delete pages, compress large PDFs, and extract images.
    — StackCommerce Team, PC Magazine, 24 Oct. 2026
Definition of compress
Verb
  • The Royals plucked manager Matt Quatraro from the Rays organization in 2022.
    — Kansas City Star, Kansas City Star, 23 Oct. 2026
  • The Orioles plucked Jared Banner from the Cubs to be their new general manager under Mike Elias.
    — Josh Tolentino, Baltimore Sun, 22 Oct. 2026
Definition of pluck
Verb
  • Rather than chasing fancy titles or splashy paychecks throughout her career, she’s gravitated toward jobs that pushed her out of her comfort zone, forced her to take risks, and taught her to embrace a little chaos.
    — Preston Fore, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2026
  • Meta Platforms, which is pushing its Muse AI agent, lost 7% after reporting stronger revenue for the latest quarter than analysts expected, though its profit fell short.
    — Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 23 Oct. 2026
Definition of push
Noun
  • So scientists use frequency-dependent squeezing to reduce quantum noise.
    — Ameya Paleja, Interesting Engineering, 22 May 2026
  • Maenpaa added that the physical act of squeezing creates a sensory anchor.
    — Samantha Agate, Charlotte Observer, 7 May 2026
Definition of squeezing
Noun
  • Today, the Mexico City GP is recognized as one of the Formula 1 circuit’s intercontinental darlings.
    — Alan Chazaro, Condé Nast Traveler, 26 Oct. 2026
  • Perhaps these Brewers aren’t some small-market darling, after all.
    — Brady Brickner-Wood, New Yorker, 26 Oct. 2026
Definition of darling

Phrases Containing squeeze

Browse Nearby Words

squeamishness
squeeze
squeezed
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Squeeze.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/squeeze. Accessed 27 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of milieu

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World

Why do we 'bury the lede?'

'Za' and 9 Other Words to Help You Win at SCRABBLE
See More

Popular

See More

How to Use 'Who' vs. 'Whom'

The Longest Long Words List

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
different halloween monsters in silhouette
A Monstrous Vocab Quiz Words That Go Bump in the Night
See All