pressure

1 of 2

noun

pres·​sure ˈpre-shər How to pronounce pressure (audio)
1
a
: the burden of physical or mental distress
b
: the constraint of circumstance : the weight of social or economic imposition
2
: the application of force to something by something else in direct contact with it : compression
3
archaic : impression, stamp
4
a
: the action of a force against an opposing force
b
: the force or thrust exerted over a surface divided by its area
5
: the stress or urgency of matters demanding attention : exigency
people who work well under pressure
6
: the force of selection that results from one or more agents and tends to reduce a population of organisms
population pressure
predation pressure
7
: the pressure exerted in every direction by the weight of the atmosphere
8
: a sensation aroused by moderate compression of a body part or surface
pressureless adjective

pressure

2 of 2

verb

pressured; pressuring ˈpre-sh(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce pressure (audio)

transitive verb

1
: to apply pressure to
2
3
: to cook in a pressure cooker

Examples of pressure in a Sentence

Noun Apply pressure to the wound to stop the bleeding. the pressure of the compressed air inside the chamber The animal's jaws can exert a pressure of more than 750 pounds per square inch. The horse will respond to the slightest pressure of a rider's knee. The fruit yields to gentle pressure when it's ripe. the normal air pressure at sea level He gave in to the social pressures to act and dress like everybody else. She felt a constant pressure to earn more money. Verb his father pressured him to go out for the swim team
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
On Monday, amid enormous pressure to staunch the violence, Henry stepped down. Ray Sanchez, CNN, 17 Mar. 2024 Powell's rate dilemma As inflation reasserts its presence, the Fed’s Powell faces pressure on the path to cut interest rates. Detroit Free Press, 16 Mar. 2024 Against that backdrop, Biden’s commitment to the usual firewall between a presidential administration and the Fed stands in stark contrast to Trump’s openly political pressure. Paolo Confino, Fortune, 16 Mar. 2024 Israel has been under increasing pressure to allow more aid into Gaza, especially in the Palestinian territory's isolated north where hunger is at its worst, with many people reduced to eating animal feed and weeds. Democrat-Gazette Staff From Wire Reports, arkansasonline.com, 16 Mar. 2024 However, beyond social pressure, ranchers have few incentives to do so. Paul Winters, Discover Magazine, 16 Mar. 2024 Pull out of the presidential race under public pressure. David Jackson, USA TODAY, 16 Mar. 2024 That pressure could ease if, as many economists expect, mortgage rates decline this year. CBS News, 15 Mar. 2024 The couple’s decision has become increasingly common as egg, embryo and sperm storage fees have spiked since 2019 due to inflation and supply chain pressures. Amber Ferguson, Washington Post, 15 Mar. 2024
Verb
Former Twitter executives denied last year that they were pressured by Democrats and law enforcement to suppress the story. USA TODAY, 17 Mar. 2024 Shapiro's proposal comes as environmentalists are pressuring him to do more to fight climate change in the nation’s No. 2 gas-producing state and as the state's highest court considers a challenge to his predecessor's plan to adopt a carbon-pricing program. Michael Rubinkam and Marc Levy, Quartz, 13 Mar. 2024 Some people, looking at the polling, had been quietly pressuring Lee to drop out. Erika D. Smith, Los Angeles Times, 10 Mar. 2024 But the regulatory process is intended to pressure test that and spot those shortcomings. Elisabeth Buchwald, CNN, 10 Mar. 2024 La Resistencia, the local immigrant rights group, responded by pressuring King County officials to set up a viewing area. Mckenzie Funk, ProPublica, 8 Mar. 2024 They were accused of pressuring federal thrift regulators to ease their scrutiny of political benefactor Charles Keating Jr., the chairman of Lincoln Savings & Loan. Kira Caspers, The Arizona Republic, 6 Mar. 2024 There’s little the agency can do to pressure Russia into improving conditions at the plant. Nataliya Gumenyuk, The Atlantic, 6 Mar. 2024 The stock was further pressured Friday after Fitch Ratings downgraded NYCB’s debt to junk status and Moody’s Investors Service lowered its rating further into junk territory. Nicole Goodkind, CNN, 6 Mar. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'pressure.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin pressura, from Latin, action of pressing, pressure, from pressus, past participle of premere

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1938, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of pressure was in the 14th century

Dictionary Entries Near pressure

Cite this Entry

“Pressure.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pressure. Accessed 28 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

pressure

1 of 2 noun
pres·​sure ˈpresh-ər How to pronounce pressure (audio)
1
: a force or influence that cannot be avoided
social pressure
2
: the application of force to something by something else in direct contact with it
keep steady pressure on the gas pedal
3
a
: the action of a force against an opposing force
b
: the force applied over a surface divided by its area
c
: the force exerted as a result of the weight of the atmosphere
4
: the stress or burden of matters demanding attention
works well under pressure

pressure

2 of 2 verb
pressured; pressuring ˈpresh-(ə-)riŋ How to pronounce pressure (audio)
1
: to apply pressure to
2

Medical Definition

pressure

noun
pres·​sure ˈpresh-ər How to pronounce pressure (audio)
1
: the burden of mental or physical distress especially from grief, illness, or adversity
2
: the application of force to something by something else in direct contact with it : compression
3
a
: the action of a force against some opposing force : a force in the nature of a thrust distributed over a surface
b
: the force or thrust exerted over a surface divided by the area of the surface
4
5
6
: a touch sensation aroused by moderate compression of the skin

More from Merriam-Webster on pressure

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