squeeze

Meanings

1. 1
   verb

   To press something firmly, especially from two sides.

   She squeezed the lemon to get the juice out.

2. 2
   verb

   To fit into or through a small or tight space.

   We managed to squeeze into the crowded lift.

3. 3
   noun

   The act of pressing something firmly.

   He gave her hand a gentle squeeze.

4. 4
   noun

   A difficult situation, often caused by a lack of money or space.

   Rising prices have put a squeeze on family budgets.

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 f…

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