to push something firmly, often with your hand, finger, or a tool
Jake pressed the doorbell and waited.
Please press the red button to start the blender.
✦ Old French ‘presser’, from Latin ‘pressare’ meaning ‘to press’, frequentative of ‘premere’ ‘to press, squeeze’.
to make clothes smooth and flat with a hot iron
Grandma pressed the tablecloth before setting the plates.
I need to press my shirt for tomorrow’s interview.
newspapers, magazines, and the journalists who work for them
The press reported the election results early.
Celebrities often complain about the press invading their privacy.
to try hard to persuade someone to do something or give information
Reporters pressed the mayor for details about the plan.
My parents pressed me to apply for the scholarship.
to squeeze or crush something to remove liquid or to shape it
Farmers pressed the olives to make oil.
She pressed fresh oranges for breakfast juice.
a machine that prints books or newspapers
The old printing press is displayed in the museum.
They bought a new digital press to speed up book production.
a machine that squeezes or crushes something to change its shape or remove liquid
The carpenter used a clamp press to glue the boards together.
A cider press stood in the corner of the barn.
the force that is put on something over a particular area, or the measured amount of that force
The pressure inside the tire was too low, so it looked flat.
Deep-sea fish survive under enormous water pressure.
✦ From Old French pression, from Latin pressūra, from pressus (“pressed”).
strong influence from people or circumstances that tries to make someone do or change something
Public pressure forced the company to change its policy.
After hours of pressure, he finally agreed to speak.
a region of low air pressure that often brings clouds, wind, and rain
A tropical depression formed off the coast and is moving north.
The weather forecast warns of a depression bringing heavy showers tomorrow.
a mark, dent, or shape left on a surface after something presses against it
The dinosaur left a deep impression in the soft mud.
She pressed the key into the wax, leaving an impression for the seal.
