verb To press something firmly from two or more sides.
- Squeeze the sponge gently to get the water out.
- She squeezed the lemon over her fish.
- He squeezed her hand to comfort her.
verb To force something into a tight space, or manage to fit it in.
- Can you squeeze past me? The corridor is very narrow.
- We squeezed one more chair around the table.
- I'll try to squeeze in a call before lunch.
verb To put pressure on someone, financially or otherwise.
- Supermarkets often squeeze their suppliers to lower the prices they charge.
- The landlord squeezed his tenants by raising the rent yet again.
- Rising costs are squeezing small businesses hard.
noun An act of pressing or hugging something.
- The baby gave my finger a tight squeeze.
- Give the tube a squeeze to get the last of the toothpaste out.
- She gave his arm a gentle squeeze.
noun A difficult situation caused by limited time, money, or space.
- With rent and food costing more, many families are in a real squeeze.
- A squeeze on space meant that four of us shared one room.
- Households are feeling the squeeze from higher energy bills.
