press has definitions from the fields of printing,housing,politics,writing,sociology,news
1
[ verb ] exert pressure or force to or upon

Examples

"He pressed down on the boards" "press your thumb on this spot"

Used in print

(The Times-Picayune, [New Orleans]...)

The speed is controlled by pressing on the two brake buttons located where the index_finger and thumb are placed when holding the motor .

(Harry H. Hull, "The Normal Forces and Their Ther...)

These droplets are distorted by the normal forces just as a balloon would be pulled or pressed out of shape in one 's hands .

(B. J. D. Meeuse, The Story of Pollination....)

They keep their wings and feet pressed tightly against their bodies , and in_spite_of their often colorful attire you may very well mistake them for lumps of dirt .

(David Stacton, The Judges of the Secret Court....)

The figure leapt from the box , almost lost its balance , the flag draped there tore in the air , the figure landed on its left leg , fell on its hands , and pressed itself up .

(Arthur Miller, "The Prophecy," in The Best...)

Now she kept herself protectively ready to laugh again and sure_enough he pointed at her with his index_finger and said `` Toot '' ! once_more and roared_off into the fog , his foot evidently surprising him with the suddenness with which it pressed the accelerator , just as his hand did when he worked .

2
[ noun ] (sociology,news) newspaper writers and photographers

Synonyms

fourth_estate

Used in print

(John Michael Ray, "Rhode Island's Reactions...)

During the Dorr trial the Democratic press condemned the proceedings and heralded Dorr as a martyr to the principles of the Declaration_of_Independence .

(Gerald Green, The Heartless Light....)

The previous night 's horror - the absolute failure , overcast with the intrusions of the press , had left them all with a wan sense of uselessness , of play-acting .

3
[ verb ] force or impel in an indicated direction

Synonyms

urge exhort urge_on

Examples

"I urged him to finish his studies"

Used in print

(Max F. Millikan and Donald L. M. Blackmer,...)

American policy should press constantly the view that until these governments demand efficiency and effectiveness of their bureaucracies there is not the slightest hope that they will either modernize of democratize their societies .

4
[ verb ] place between two surfaces and apply weight or pressure

Examples

"pressed flowers"

Used in print

(Sallie Bingham, "Moving Day," The Atlantic...)

It hung_in all her day clothes , sweet and strong ; sometimes when he was pressing , Winston raised her dresses to his face .

Related terms

flatten iron calender

5
[ verb ] squeeze or press together

Examples

"she compressed her lips" "the spasm contracted the muscle"

Used in print

(Frieda Arkin, "The Light of the Sea," in The...)

Once her trembling hand , with the pen grasped tight in it , was pressed against the paper the words came sharply , smoothly , as authoritatively as they would dropping from her own lips .

6
[ verb ] to be oppressive or burdensome

Synonyms

weigh

Examples

"weigh heavily on the mind", "Something pressed on his mind"

Used in print

(Francis Pollini, Night....)

Like a particle drawn to a magnet he returned to that which was pressing so hard in his mind .

Related terms

count

7
[ noun ] (printing) a machine used for printing

Synonyms

printing_press

Used in print

(Robert L. Duncan, The Voice of Strangers....)

He went_into the print_shop , where Fletcher had just finished cleaning the press .

8
[ noun ] the state of urgently demanding notice or attention

Examples

"the press of business matters"

Used in print

(S. J. Perelman, The Rising Gorge. New York:...)

As you 've doubtless forgotten the circumstances in the press of more recent depredations , permit me to recapitulate them briefly .

Related terms

urgency blackmail

9
[ noun ] (writing,news) the gathering and publishing of news in the form of newspapers or magazines

Synonyms

public_press

Used in print

(James Bryant Conant, Slums and Suburbs...)

Here again we run_into the roadblock that Negroes do not like to be designated as Negroes in the press .

10
[ verb ] crowd closely

Examples

"The crowds pressed along the street"

Used in print

(Terence O'Donnell, "Evenings at the Bridge"...)

Crowds press along the terraces , down the steps , in and out of the arcades , massing against it as though it were a fortress under siege .

Related terms

mass jam

11
[ verb ] make strenuous pushing movements during birth to expel the baby

Synonyms

push

Examples

"Now push hard," said the doctor to the woman"

Used in print

(David Boroff, "Jewish Teen-Age Culture"...)

When I pressed for a purely religious definition , I encountered the familiar blend of liberal piety , interfaith good_will , and a small residue of ethnic loyalty .

Related terms

push demand push

12
[ verb ] create by pressing

Examples

: "Press little holes into the soft clay"

Used in print

(McCall's Needlework and Crafts, Spring-Summer,...)

While clay is still pressed in mold , press three equally spaced holes 1 4 '' deep , using pencil_eraser , in bottom of clay to allow_for proper drying and firing .

Related terms

make

13
[ verb ] press from a plastic, as of records

Synonyms

press_out

Related terms

cast

14
[ noun ] a dense crowd of people

Synonyms

crush jam

Related terms

crowd traffic_jam

15
[ verb ] be urgent

Examples

"This is a pressing problem"

Related terms

be imperativeness

16
[ noun ] clamp to prevent wooden rackets from warping when not in use

Related terms

clamp

17
[ noun ] a weightlift in which the barbell is lifted to shoulder height and then smoothly lifted overhead

Synonyms

military_press

Related terms

weightlifting weightlift

18
[ verb ] ask for or request earnestly

Examples

"The prophet bid all people to become good persons"

Related terms

plead adjuration

19
[ noun ] (housing) a tall piece of furniture that provides storage space for clothes; has a door and rails or hooks for hanging clothes

Synonyms

wardrobe closet

20
[ verb ] lift weights

Examples

"This guy can press 300 pounds"

Related terms

exercise

21
[ noun ] any machine that exerts pressure to form or shape or cut materials or extract liquids or compress solids

Synonyms

mechanical_press

22
[ verb ] (politics) exert oneself continuously, vigorously, or obtrusively to gain an end or engage in a crusade for a certain cause or person; be an advocate for

Examples

"The liberal party pushed for reforms" "She is crusading for women's rights"

23
[ noun ] Last name, frequency rank in the U.S. is 11800
24
[ noun ] the act of pressing; the exertion of pressure

Synonyms

pressure pressing

Examples

"he gave the button a press" "he used pressure to stop the bleeding" "at the pressing of a button"

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