squeeze

verb

/skwiːz/

Verb Forms

present simple I / you / we / they squeeze	/skwiːz/ /skwiːz/
he / she / it squeezes	/ˈskwiːzɪz/ /ˈskwiːzɪz/
past simple squeezed	/skwiːzd/ /skwiːzd/
past participle squeezed	/skwiːzd/ /skwiːzd/
-ing form squeezing	/ˈskwiːzɪŋ/ /ˈskwiːzɪŋ/

Idioms Phrasal Verbs

jump to other results

press with fingers

enlarge image

[transitive, intransitive] squeeze (something) to press something, especially with your fingers

to squeeze a tube of toothpaste
to squeeze the trigger of a gun (= to fire it)
He squeezed her hand and smiled at her.
Just take hold of the tube and squeeze.

Extra Examples

‘I know,’ she said, squeezing his hand gently.
I squeezed the last bit of toothpaste out of the tube.
By squeezing the bulb you will be pumping air into the jar.
He slowly squeezed the trigger.
She squeezed on the reins and the cart came to a halt.

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb

hard
tightly
gently
…

preposition

from
out of

phrases

freshly squeezed

See full entry

get liquid out

[transitive] to get liquid out of something by pressing or twisting it hard

squeeze something out of/from something to squeeze the juice from a lemon
(figurative) She felt as if every drop of emotion had been squeezed from her.
Squeeze the juice of half a lemon over each fish.
squeeze something (out) He took off his wet clothes and squeezed the water out.
freshly squeezed orange juice
squeeze something + adj. Soak the cloth in warm water and then squeeze it dry.

Topics Cooking and eatingc1

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb

hard
tightly
gently
…

preposition

from
out of

phrases

freshly squeezed

See full entry

into/through small space

[transitive, intransitive] to force somebody/something/yourself into or through a small space

squeeze somebody/something into, through, etc. something We managed to squeeze six people into the car.
It's a pretty town, squeezed between the mountains and the ocean.
(figurative) We managed to squeeze a lot into a week (= we did a lot of different things).
His legs were squeezed together.
squeeze into, through, etc. something to squeeze into a tight dress
Can we squeeze into that parking space?
to squeeze through a gap in the hedge
They were able to squeeze through a gap in the fence.
squeeze through, in, past, etc. If you move forward a little, I can squeeze past.

threaten

[transitive] squeeze somebody (for something) (informal) to get something by putting pressure on somebody, threatening them, etc.

He's squeezing me for £500.

limit money

[transitive] squeeze somebody/something to strictly limit or reduce the amount of money that somebody/something has or can use

High interest rates have squeezed the industry hard.

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadverb

hard

See full entry

Word Originmid 16th cent.: from earlier squise, from obsolete queise, of unknown origin.

Idioms

squeeze somebody dry

to get as much money, information, etc. out of somebody as you can

squeeze

noun

/skwiːz/

Idioms

jump to other results

pressing with fingers

[countable, usually singular] an act of pressing something, usually with your hands

He gave my hand a little squeeze.
Give the tube another squeeze.

Extra Examples

He gave her hand a gentle squeeze.
He gave his mother a comforting squeeze as he left.

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective

affectionate
comforting
reassuring
…

verb + squeeze

give somebody

phrases

squeeze of

See full entry

of liquid

[countable] a small amount of liquid that is produced by pressing something

a squeeze of lemon juice

in small space

[singular] a situation where it is almost impossible for a number of people or things to fit into a small or limited space

It was a tight squeeze but we finally got everything into the case.
Seven people in the car was a bit of a squeeze.
at a squeeze We can get six in the car at a squeeze.

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective

tight

preposition

at a squeeze
in a squeeze

phrases

a bit of a squeeze

See full entry

reduction in money

[countable, usually singular] a reduction in the amount of money, jobs, etc. available; a difficult situation caused by this

We're really feeling the squeeze since I lost my job.
squeeze on something a squeeze on profits
a credit squeeze

Extra Examples

All manufacturers are feeling the squeeze.
Hospitals have been in a squeeze for some time.
a squeeze on spending

Oxford Collocations Dictionaryadjective

cash
credit
economic
…

verb + squeeze

feel
put

preposition

squeeze on

See full entry

boyfriend/girlfriend

[singular] (especially North American English, informal) a boyfriend or girlfriend

Who's his main squeeze?

Word Originmid 16th cent.: from earlier squise, from obsolete queise, of unknown origin.

Idioms

put the squeeze on somebody (to do something)

(informal) to put pressure on somebody to act in a particular way; to make a situation difficult for somebody
- You come straight to me if she tries to put the squeeze on you.
- Increased competition is really putting the squeeze on North American producers.
- The government is trying to put the squeeze on high earners.