From Longman Dictionary of Contemporary Englishsqueezesqueeze1 /skwiːz/ ●●● S3 verb 1 press [transitive]PRESS to press something firmly together with your fingers or hand She smiled as he squeezed her hand. He squeezed the trigger, but nothing happened.2 press out liquid [transitive]GET to get liquid from something by pressing it Squeeze the oranges.squeeze something out Try to squeeze a bit more out.squeeze something on/onto something Squeeze a bit of lemon juice onto the fish.3 small space [intransitive, transitive always + adverb/preposition]FIT/BE THE RIGHT SIZE to try to make something fit into a space that is too small, or to try to get into such a space SYN squashsqueeze into Five of us squeezed into the back seat.squeeze through/past He had squeezed through a gap in the fence.squeeze somebody/something in We could probably squeeze in a few more people.4 → squeeze your eyes shut5 just succeed [intransitive always + adverb/preposition]JUST/ALMOST NOT to succeed, win, or pass a test by a very small amount so that you only just avoid failure Greece just squeezed through into the next round.6 limit money [transitive]PEBFLIMIT to strictly limit the amount of money that is available to a company or organization The government is squeezing the railways’ investment budget. → squeeze somebody/something ↔ in → squeeze something ↔ out → squeeze up→ See Verb table
PRESSan act of pressing something firmly with your fingers or hand Marty gave her hand a little squeeze.3 → squeeze of lemon/lime etc4 PEa situation in which wages, prices, borrowing money etc are strictly controlled or reducedsqueeze on cuts due to the squeeze on public sector spending a credit squeeze All manufacturers are feeling the squeeze (=noticing the effects of a difficult financial situation).5 → put the squeeze on somebody6 → somebody’s (main) squeeze
Examples from the Corpus
squeeze• Earnings growth is also being squeezed.• I don't think I can squeeze any more files into this drawer.• I can't squeeze any more tomato paste out of this tube.• The humans and their needs had to be squeezed in when time and space permitted.• The bus was already full but someone opened the doors and another passenger squeezed in.• Research showed the region had many recreational activities squeezed into a compact area, said Herder.• The tunnel was so narrow that only one person at a time could squeeze into it.• a horrible doll that cried when you squeezed it• Alice squeezed my arm affectionately, and said goodbye.• Cathy gently squeezed my hand.• I start the day with a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice.• Cuts in federal funding are squeezing public housing agencies.• Squeeze the lemons and pour the juice into a jug.• I squeezed the toothpaste tube, but nothing came out.• I cocked the old gun and squeezed the trigger, and it just went forward too slowly to fire a round.• Alice squeezed the wet sponge.• They pushed and squeezed their way out of the jute field.• I squeezed through a hole in the hedge into the garden.• Bring all four edges to the top to form a little parcel and squeeze to secure. 4.• She turned around and scampered back across the footpath to the gate, squeezed under and crept to the dish.• It's no use trying to squeeze yourself into clothes that are too small for you.squeeze something out• Squeeze excess juices out of the spinach and stir it into the cheese mixture.squeeze through/past• Some one had obviously picked them, and squeezed through.• The police jeep and Boynes' vehicle were barely able to squeeze past.• The tube is too narrow even for the nucleus, which only just squeezes through.• Twenty years ago this road was overgrowing with alders, but you could still squeeze through.• And even more amazing that he can still squeeze through chimneys and central heating air vents in tower blocks.• He went back into the garden and squeezed through the bushes at the side of the boathouse.• The fear of traveling solo was softened after landing at Heathrow and squeezing through the crowds to catch an Airbus headed downtown.• She used to squeeze through the fence and bring me her bones. squeezesqueeze2 noun [countable] 1 → a (tight) squeeze2 PRESSan act of pressing something firmly with your fingers or hand Marty gave her hand a little squeeze.3 → squeeze of lemon/lime etc4 PEa situation in which wages, prices, borrowing money etc are strictly controlled or reducedsqueeze on cuts due to the squeeze on public sector spending a credit squeeze All manufacturers are feeling the squeeze (=noticing the effects of a difficult financial situation).5 → put the squeeze on somebody6 → somebody’s (main) squeezeExamples from the Corpus
squeeze• Squeeze the legs together 30 times, holding each squeeze for 1 second.• She reached out a hand, gave mine a squeeze.• Despite squeezes on capital expenditure in this sector, total sales did increase slightly to £9.3m from £8.3m in 1991.• But the study also offers a sobering reminder about the financial squeeze on families at the bottom.• Small businesses are beginning to feel the financial squeeze.• Then put on your rubber gloves and give the meat a good squeeze with both hands.• A lovely white hand, spangled and professionally looked after, gripped Lois's arm for an intimate squeeze.gave ... squeeze• Betsy's face crumpled a bit, and Jimmy put an arm around her shoulders and gave her a squeeze.• His hand came out and took hold of her ankle, gave it a squeeze and a shake.• She reached out a hand, gave mine a squeeze.• She slipped her hand into his, and he gave it a squeeze before he released it.• He gave her a squeeze and she was out of the door smiling.feeling the squeeze• All manufacturers are feeling the squeeze.• Fears of mortgage defaults are adding pressure to an already depressed property market, while reports of industry feeling the squeeze proliferated.From Longman Business Dictionarysqueezesqueeze1 /skwiːz/ verb [transitive]1ECONOMICSto strictly limit the amount of money that is available to a company or organizationHealth care spending is being squeezed.The firm says that its profit margin is gettingsqueezed by rising costs for its primary raw material.2squeeze something out of/from something to get the most you possibly can from somethingJohnson was known to squeeze every dollar out of every contract.Company managers can squeeze more from their capital assets if they choose markets carefully and set clearer goals. → squeeze somebody/something → out (of something)→ See Verb tablesqueezesqueeze2 noun [countable usually singular] ECONOMICSFINANCEa situation in which wages, prices, borrowing money etc are strictly limited, especially by a government in order to control inflationThe union is protesting against the 1.5% pay squeeze.squeeze ona squeeze on gross margins → credit squeeze → profit squeeze → see also bear squeeze, short squeezeOrigin squeeze1 (1500-1600) quease “to press, squeeze” ((15-17 centuries)), from Old English cwysan 