as in squeezed
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
as in seized
to take or make use of under a guise of authority but without actual right
the fleeing bank robber pressed a nearby taxi into service as a getaway car
Synonyms & Similar Words
1
as in shoved
to push steadily against with some force
an old doorbell that requires you to press the button hard
Synonyms & Similar Words
2
3
as in huddled
to gather into a closely packed group
everyone pressed around me to see the pictures
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
4
5
as in compelled
to cause (a person) to give in to pressure
a manager pressed by a business crisis to return from his vacation ahead of schedule
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
6
as in urged
to try to persuade (someone) through earnest appeals to follow a course of action
pressed us to go with them to the school board meeting
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
7
as in emphasized
to indicate the importance of by centering attention on
an office e-mail that presses the need for greater vigilance concerning building security
Synonyms & Similar Words
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of pressed
Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 23 Mar. 2026
Justin, Keokuk, Iowa You’d be hard-pressed to find more than a couple that are evenly split all the time.
—Stewart Mandel, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2026
Mexico City, Mexico You’d be hard pressed to find anyone who needs convincing to visit Mexico City.
—Annie Daly, Vogue, 10 Mar. 2026
The Bills could be hard-pressed to bring back Edwards as the team faces salary cap constraints.
—ABC News, 7 Mar. 2026
But the Chiefs would be hard-pressed to not at least field calls from other teams on a potential trade-back.
—Pete Sweeney, Kansas City Star, 26 Feb. 2026
South Texas — along with much of the state — has been hard-pressed to see any meaningful rainfall since the start of 2026.
—Anthony Franze, San Antonio Express-News, 26 Feb. 2026
But without star forward JT Toppin, who suffered a season-ending ACL injury, the Red Raiders will be hard-pressed to survive the opening weekend, much less the regionals.
—Jon Wilner, Mercury News, 24 Feb. 2026
Not Washing Rice Before Cooking We’d be hard-pressed to find many old-school Southern cooks who wanted to spend the time rinsing rice before cooking.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 21 Feb. 2026
Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 6 Apr. 2026
In a tense call after Altman’s firing, the board pressed him to acknowledge a pattern of deception.
—Ronan Farrow, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026
The pet pig quickly went viral with videos of him learning how to speak using buttons that, when pressed, play a recording of a word or phrase.
—Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 5 Apr. 2026
These sugar buns are reminiscent of cinnamon rolls, except the cinnamon sugar is pressed onto the outsides of the buns.
—Victoria Spencer, Martha Stewart, 3 Apr. 2026
Instead, the remaining members pressed forward.
—Paul Fitzgerald, Rolling Stone, 3 Apr. 2026
When no one arrived, the passenger pressed an SOS button and was again told that help was on the way.
—Angelique Brenes, PEOPLE, 2 Apr. 2026
Leapmotor has pressed further abroad, launching its first overseas innovation center in Munich, Germany on March 20.
—Matthew Chin,evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 2 Apr. 2026
Prosecutors pressed the Hawaii doctor accused of trying to kill his wife during a tense cross-examination Thursday, challenging his account of a violent confrontation on an Oahu hiking trail.
—Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 2 Apr. 2026
Adjective
Yoán Moncada or 34-year-old DH Jorge Soler, and the Angels would be hard-pressed to replace them with even average production.
—Jeff Fletcher, Oc Register, 23 Mar. 2026
Justin, Keokuk, Iowa You’d be hard-pressed to find more than a couple that are evenly split all the time.
—Stewart Mandel, New York Times, 11 Mar. 2026
Mexico City, Mexico You’d be hard pressed to find anyone who needs convincing to visit Mexico City.
—Annie Daly, Vogue, 10 Mar. 2026
The Bills could be hard-pressed to bring back Edwards as the team faces salary cap constraints.
—ABC News, 7 Mar. 2026
But the Chiefs would be hard-pressed to not at least field calls from other teams on a potential trade-back.
—Pete Sweeney, Kansas City Star, 26 Feb. 2026
South Texas — along with much of the state — has been hard-pressed to see any meaningful rainfall since the start of 2026.
—Anthony Franze, San Antonio Express-News, 26 Feb. 2026
But without star forward JT Toppin, who suffered a season-ending ACL injury, the Red Raiders will be hard-pressed to survive the opening weekend, much less the regionals.
—Jon Wilner, Mercury News, 24 Feb. 2026
Not Washing Rice Before Cooking We’d be hard-pressed to find many old-school Southern cooks who wanted to spend the time rinsing rice before cooking.
—Kaitlyn Yarborough, Southern Living, 21 Feb. 2026
Verb
Conversations about how much the suburb of Apex has grown, of how beautiful the pine trees look pressed up against a cloudless sky, of how some sports have changed, maybe, and represented a vanishing way of a simpler life.
—Alex Zietlow, Charlotte Observer, 6 Apr. 2026
In a tense call after Altman’s firing, the board pressed him to acknowledge a pattern of deception.
—Ronan Farrow, New Yorker, 6 Apr. 2026
The pet pig quickly went viral with videos of him learning how to speak using buttons that, when pressed, play a recording of a word or phrase.
—Camila Pedrosa, Sacbee.com, 5 Apr. 2026
These sugar buns are reminiscent of cinnamon rolls, except the cinnamon sugar is pressed onto the outsides of the buns.
—Victoria Spencer, Martha Stewart, 3 Apr. 2026
Instead, the remaining members pressed forward.
—Paul Fitzgerald, Rolling Stone, 3 Apr. 2026
When no one arrived, the passenger pressed an SOS button and was again told that help was on the way.
—Angelique Brenes, PEOPLE, 2 Apr. 2026
Leapmotor has pressed further abroad, launching its first overseas innovation center in Munich, Germany on March 20.
—Matthew Chin,evelyn Cheng, CNBC, 2 Apr. 2026
Prosecutors pressed the Hawaii doctor accused of trying to kill his wife during a tense cross-examination Thursday, challenging his account of a violent confrontation on an Oahu hiking trail.
—Stepheny Price, FOXNews.com, 2 Apr. 2026
Recent Examples of Synonyms for pressed
Adjective
-
Fold in crushed pineapple and drained pineapple chunks until well combined.—
Jasmine Smith,
Southern Living,
1 Apr. 2026
-
In addition, unlike some carbon removal strategies that rely on transporting and dispersing large quantities of crushed rock, this method operates entirely on-site.—
Georgina Jedikovska,
Interesting Engineering,
31 Mar. 2026
Adjective
-
China’s military has unveiled a combat drone converted from a Soviet–era fighter jet, a development that could enable massed drone attacks in any future conflict over Taiwan.—
Kapil Kajal,
Interesting Engineering,
23 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Pressed.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/pressed. Accessed 6 Apr. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
