squeezed

IPA/skwiːz/
KK[skwˈizd]IPA/skwiːz/

squeezed — verb

  • squeezedpresent simple I / you / we / they
  • squeezeds3rd person singular
  • squeezeding-ing form
  • squeezededpast simple

1. to hold something tightly with your hand or push hard on its sides, often to mak

1.verbtransitiveB1
Definition

to hold something tightly with your hand or push hard on its sides, often to make it smaller or to get liquid out of it

Example

Hoa squeezed half a lemon over the warm fish before serving it.

squeeze + object to get liquid out

The nurse gently squeezed the boy's hand to help him stay calm.

squeeze + body-part object

Common collocations
  • squeeze a lemon
  • squeeze someone's hand
  • squeeze the tube
Synonyms
  • press

    more general; can be light or one-sided, while squeeze implies a firm grip

  • compress

    more technical or formal; about reducing volume

  • crush

    stronger force that destroys the shape

Antonyms

Grammar Patterns

squeeze + object

squeeze + object + out

Usage Note

Object is usually something soft or holdable (a hand, a tube, a piece of fruit). Often followed by 'out' when the goal is removing liquid.

Common Mistakes

I squeezed the orange juice from the bottle.
I squeezed the juice out of the orange.
you squeeze the fruit, not the juice that comes out.

2. to hold someone close in your arms for a short moment to show love or to comfort

2.verbtransitiveB1
Definition

to hold someone close in your arms for a short moment to show love or to comfort them

Example

Grandma squeezed Léa tightly the moment she walked through the door.

squeeze + person for affection

Ziad squeezed his little sister and told her everything would be fine.

Common collocations
  • squeeze someone tightly
  • squeeze each other
Synonyms
  • hug

    the neutral everyday word; squeeze adds the sense of holding extra tight

  • embrace

    more formal or literary

Grammar Patterns

squeeze + person

Usage Note

Distinguish from sense 1: here the object is a person and the act is affectionate, not about changing the object's shape.

3. to move yourself or push something into a space that is almost too small, with e

3.verbtransitive / intransitiveB1
Definition

to move yourself or push something into a space that is almost too small, with effort

Example

Six of us squeezed into the tiny car for the ride to the beach.

squeeze + into a small space

The cat squeezed through the narrow gap under the wooden fence.

squeeze + through a gap

Common collocations
  • squeeze into
  • squeeze through
  • squeeze onto
Synonyms
  • cram

    stresses overfilling a space; often with too many things

  • wedge

    to push tightly so it gets stuck

Grammar Patterns

squeeze + into/through/under

squeeze + object + into

Usage Note

Almost always paired with a preposition (into, through, under, onto). The space is understood to be tight, so the effort is part of the meaning.

4. to put pressure on a person or business so that they have too little money to li

4.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to put pressure on a person or business so that they have too little money to live or operate comfortably

Example

Rising rents have squeezed many small shops out of the old market street.

subject is a cost or demand

Young families are being squeezed by higher food prices and rising bills.

passive: be squeezed by [financial cause]

Common collocations
  • squeezed by costs
  • squeezed by rising prices
Synonyms
  • pressure

    broader; squeeze is specifically about money getting tight

  • strain

    stresses the stretch on limited resources

Grammar Patterns

be squeezed by + cause

Usage Note

Frequently passive, with the financial cause introduced by 'by' (squeezed by costs, rents, taxes). Subject of the active form is usually a cost or economic demand, not a person.

5. to get money, information, or agreement from someone by using threats or strong

5.verbtransitiveB2
Definition

to get money, information, or agreement from someone by using threats or strong pressure they cannot refuse

Example

The gang squeezed protection money out of every shop on the block.

squeeze + money + out of someone

Reporters tried to squeeze the truth out of the nervous witness.

squeeze + information + out of someone

Common collocations
  • squeeze money out of
  • squeeze the truth from
Synonyms
  • extort

    formal and legal; specifically about illegal threats

  • wring

    vivid; to force out with great difficulty

Grammar Patterns

squeeze + something + out of/from someone

Usage Note

Object must be something the other person is unwilling to give (money, a confession, a promise), usually followed by 'out of' or 'from' plus the person.

squeezed — noun

Word family

Synonym discussion

Sense: verb/1

All four involve applying force, but they differ in grip and result. 'Press' is the most general: you can press with one finger, a button, or a flat hand, and nothing needs to change shape. 'Squeeze' adds the idea of a firm grip from more than one side, usually with the whole hand, often to get liquid out — you squeeze a lemon or someone's hand. 'Compress' is more technical or formal and focuses on reducing volume, as when you compress a file or compress air; it rarely describes everyday hand actions. 'Crush' uses the strongest force and destroys the original shape, leaving something flattened or broken — you crush a can but only squeeze a sponge. Choose 'squeeze' for a firm, controlled hand action and 'crush' when the object is ruined.

squeeze ↗press ↗compress ↗crush ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

  • squeeze a lemon
  • squeeze someone's hand

Adverbs

  • squeeze gently
  • squeeze tightly
  • squeeze hard

Phrases

  • give it a squeeze
  • feel the squeeze

Prepositions

Etymology

English

The verb 'squeeze' appears in English in the late 1500s, probably as a stronger form of the older word 'queise', meaning to press. The extra 's' at the front may have been added for emphasis, the way some words gain force from their sound. From the basic idea of pressing firmly, the word spread to figurative uses such as financial pressure (a money 'squeeze') and getting something out of a person by force.