squeeze
Language: English
Part of speech: verb
Pronunciation: ipa: /skwiːz/
rhymes: -iːz
Forms: form: squeezes
form: squeezing
form: squeezed
form: squoze
form: squeezed
form: squoze
form: squozen
Etymology: From earlier squize, squise (whence also dialectal English squizzen and squeege), first attested around 1600, further origin uncertain; probably an alteration of quease (which is attested since 1550), from Middle English queisen (“to squeeze”), from Old English cwȳsan (“to crush, squeeze”), itself also of unknown origin, perhaps imitative (compare Swedish qväsa, kväsa (“to squeeze, bruise, crush; quell”), Dutch kwetsen (“to injure, hurt”), German quetschen (“to squeeze”)). Or, a blend of obsolete squiss (“to squeeze”) (whence also squash and squish) with quease. Compare also French esquicher from Old Occitan esquichar (“to press, squeeze”).
The slang expression "to put the squeeze on (someone or something)", meaning "to exert influence", is from 1711. The baseball term "squeeze play" is first recorded 1905. "Main squeeze" ("most important person") is attested from 1896, the specific meaning "one's sweetheart, lover" is attested in 1970s.
The nonstandard strong forms squoze and squozen, attested dialectally since at least the mid-19th century, are by analogy with freeze.
Senses: examples: text: I squeezed the ball between my hands.
text: Please don't squeeze the toothpaste tube in the middle.
text: "Over there—by the rock," Steele muttered, with his brush between his teeth, squeezing out raw sienna, and keeping his eyes fixed on Betty Flanders's back.
ref: 1922 October 26, Virginia Woolf, chapter 1, in Jacob’s Room, Richmond, London: […] Leonard & Virginia Woolf at the Hogarth Press, →OCLC; republished London: The Hogarth Press, 1960, →OCLC:
glosses: To apply pressure to from two or more sides at once.
glosses: To embrace closely; to give a tight hug to.
examples: text: I managed to squeeze the car into that parking space.
text: Can you squeeze through that gap?
text: I sqeezed myself through the crowd.
text: It was an omen of things to come as in the 56th minute the visitors took the lead after a mix-up between Skrtel and Sotirios Kyrgiakos allowed Ebanks-Blake's through-ball to squeeze between them.
ref: 2010 December 29, Sam Sheringham, “Liverpool 0 - 1 Wolverhampton”, in BBC:
text: Could he not squeeze under the seat of a carriage? He had seen this method adopted by schoolboys, when the journey- money provided by thoughtful parents had been diverted to other and better ends.
ref: 1908 October, Kenneth Grahame, The Wind in the Willows, New York, N.Y.: Charles Scribner’s Sons, →OCLC:
glosses: To fit into a tight place.
examples: text: He squeezed some money out of his wallet.
glosses: To remove something with difficulty, or apparent difficulty.
examples: text: I'm being squeezed between my job and my volunteer work.
text: At a time when Mr. Cameron is being squeezed from both sides — from the right by members of his own party and by the anti-immigrant, anti-Europe U.K. Independence Party, and from the left by his Liberal Democrat coalition partners — the move seemed uncharacteristically clunky.
ref: 2013 May 23, Sarah Lyall, “British Leader’s Liberal Turn Sets Off a Rebellion in His Party”, in New York Times, retrieved 29 May 2013:
glosses: To put in a difficult position by presenting two or more choices.
examples: text: a Civil War where People must expect to be crush'd and squeez'd in the Consequence
ref: 1692, Roger L’Estrange, “ (please specify the fable number.) (please specify the name of the fable.)”, in Fables, of Æsop and Other Eminent Mythologists: […], London: […] R[ichard] Sare, […], →OCLC:
text: However he lost out, as other business interests whom he had alienated by his efforts to squeeze every penny of profit from the canal, supported the construction of the railway.
ref: 2025 June 25, Christian Wolmar, “How slow boats gradually gave way to rail”, in RAIL, number 1038, page 57:
glosses: To oppress with hardships, burdens, or taxes; to harass.
examples: text: Jones squeezed in Smith with a perfect bunt.
topics: ball-games
baseball
games
hobbies
lifestyle
sports
glosses: To attempt to score a runner from third by bunting.
Synonyms: sense: to apply pressure to from two or more sides at once
word: compress
word: condense
word: compress
Derived terms: sense: terms derived from the verb "squeeze"
word: exsqueeze me
sense: terms derived from the verb "squeeze"
word: squeezable
sense: terms derived from the verb "squeeze"
word: squeeze blood from a turnip
sense: terms derived from the verb "squeeze"
word: squeeze blood out of a turnip
sense: terms derived from the verb "squeeze"
word: squeeze box
sense: terms derived from the verb "squeeze"
word: squeezebox
sense: terms derived from the verb "squeeze"
word: squeeze-grape
sense: terms derived from the verb "squeeze"
word: squeeze in
sense: terms derived from the verb "squeeze"
word: squeeze into
sense: terms derived from the verb "squeeze"
word: squeeze off
sense: terms derived from the verb "squeeze"
word: squeeze one out
sense: terms derived from the verb "squeeze"
word: squeeze out
sense: terms derived from the verb "squeeze"
word: squeeze play
sense: terms derived from the verb "squeeze"
word: squeezer
sense: terms derived from the verb "squeeze"
word: squeeze stile
sense: terms derived from the verb "squeeze"
word: squeeze under
sense: terms derived from the verb "squeeze"
word: squeeze up
sense: terms derived from the verb "squeeze"
word: squeezy
sense: terms derived from the verb "squeeze"
word: unsqueeze