press

/pɹɛs/

More pronunciations (1)Fewer pronunciations

Australia/pɹes/

press noun: an instance of applying pressure; an instance of pressing.

Noun

press (countable and uncountable, plural presses)

An instance of applying pressure; an instance of pressing.
- Connecting to the service is almost idiot proof and takes just a few button presses.2004 10, “Maximum PC”, in (Please provide the book title or journal name), page 25
- a slaloming winger putting lumpen defenders on their backsides, or even a sneaky centre-forward, using his boundless energy to lead the press and force mistakes.2020 August 7, Jonathan Liew, “Phil Foden stars to offer Manchester City glimpse of multiple futures”, in The Guardian
(countable) A device used to apply pressure to an item.
- a flower press
- a cheese press
(uncountable) A crowd.
- And he sought to see Jesus who he was; and could not for the press, because he was little of stature.1611, The Holy Bible, […] (King James Version), London: […] Robert Barker, […], →OCLC, Luke 19:3
- The press in the square grew. Something would happen now.1962, Olivia Manning, The Spoilt City; republished as The Balkan Trilogy, 1990, →ISBN, page 327
(countable) A printing machine.
- Stop the presses!
- That books are pouring off the world’s presses at unprecedented rates is a fact often alluded to as a flood that is inundating libraries and the book trades.1972, Carol A. Nemeyer, Scholarly Reprint Publishing in the United States, New York, N.Y.: R. R. Bowker Co., →ISBN, page 8
Synonyms:

printing press
(collective, uncountable) The print-based media (both the people and the newspapers).
- according to a member of the press
- This article appeared in the press.
(countable) A publisher.
(countable, especially) An enclosed storage space (e.g. closet, cupboard).
- Put the cups in the press.
- Put the ironing in the linen press.
Synonyms:

closet, cupboard, pantry
(countable) An exercise in which weight is forced away from the body by extension of the arms or legs.
- This is the fourth set of benchpresses. There will be five more; then there will be five sets of presses on an inclined bench[…].1974, Charles Gaines, George Butler, Pumping Iron: The Art and Sport of Bodybuilding, page 22
(countable) An additional bet in a golf match that duplicates an existing (usually losing) wager in value, but begins even at the time of the bet.
- He can even the match with a press.
- The way a press works is, say you're two down after six holes; you can then start another bet (in effect another match) from the seventh hole, for the same amount, starting all square on the seventh tee.2012, Gary McCord, Golf For Dummies
(countable) Pure, unfermented grape juice.
- I would like some Concord press with my meal tonight.
A commission to force men into public service, particularly into the navy.
- I have misused the king's press.c. 1597 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The First Part of Henry the Fourth, […]”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies […] (First Folio), London: […] Isaac Iaggard, and...
Synonyms:

press-gang
In personology, any environmental factor that arouses a need in the individual.
- The environmental comfort category is illustrative of cases in which there are low environmental presses matched against a number of personal competences.2009, Allison E. Smith, Ageing in Urban Neighbourhoods, page 88

Verb

press (third-person singular simple present presses, present participle pressing, simple past and past participle pressed or prest)

(ambitransitive) To exert weight or force against, to act upon with force or weight; to exert pressure upon.
(transitive) To activate a button or key by exerting a downward or forward force on it, and then releasing it.

Synonyms:

strike, hit, depress
(transitive) To compress, squeeze.
- to press fruit for the purpose of extracting the juice
Synonyms:

thring, thrutch, astringe, compact, telescope, compactify, condense, densitize, pack, mash
(transitive) To clasp, hold in an embrace.
- With tears and ſmiles ſhe took her ſon, and preſs'd / Th' illuſtrious infant to her fragrant breaſt.a. 1701 (date written), John Dryden, “The Last Parting of Hector and Andromache. From the Sixth Book of the Iliad.”, in The Miscellaneous Works of John Dryden, […], volume IV, London: […] J[acob] and...
Synonyms:

hug
(transitive) To reduce to a particular shape or form by pressure, especially flatten or smooth.
- to press cloth with a clothes-iron
- to press a hat
(transitive) To flatten a selected area of fabric using an iron with an up-and-down, not sliding, motion, so as to avoid disturbing adjacent areas.
(transitive) To drive or thrust by pressure, to force in a certain direction.
- to press a crowd back
Synonyms:

thring, thrutch
(transitive) To force weight away from the body by extending the arms or legs.
- Start with two weights on the floor. Grab one with your right hand, then curl or clean it to your shoulder, then press it overhead.2026, Greg Presto, “Timeless Gains”, in Men's Health, volume 41, number 2, page 14
(obsolete, transitive) To weigh upon, oppress, trouble.
- He turns from us; / Alas, he weeps too! Something presses him / He would reveal, but dare not. Sir, be comforted.c. 1621, John Fletcher, The Pilgrim, act I, scene ii
(transitive) To force to a certain end or result; to urge strongly.
- The two gentlemen who conducted me to the island were pressed by their private affairs to return in three days.1726 October 28, [Jonathan Swift], Travels into Several Remote Nations of the World. […] [Gulliver’s Travels], volume II, London: […] Benj[amin] Motte, […], →OCLC, part III (A Voyage to Laputa...
Synonyms:

impel
To try to force (something upon someone).
- to press the Bible on an audience
- He press'd a letter upon me within this hour.1681, John Dryden, The Spanish Fryar: Or, the Double Discovery. […], London: […] Richard Tonson and Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC, Act II, page 27
Synonyms:

urge, inculcate
(transitive) To hasten, urge onward.
- to press a horse in a race

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(transitive) To urge, beseech, entreat.
- God heard their prayers, wherein they earnestly pressed him for the honor of his great name.1825, John Winthrop, The History of New England, volume II, page 29
(transitive) To lay stress upon.
- If we read but a very little, we naturally want to press it all; if we read a great deal, we are willing not to press the whole of what we read, and we learn what ought to be pressed and what not.1873, Matthew Arnold, “preface”, in Literature and Dogma
Synonyms:

emphasize
(ambitransitive) To throng, crowd.

Synonyms:

thring, thrutch, assemble, begather, collect, congregate, congress, crowd, fall in with, flock
(obsolete, transitive) To print.
To force into service, particularly into naval service.
- The peaceful peasant to the wars is press'd.1697, Virgil, “The First Book of the Georgics”, in John Dryden, transl., The Works of Virgil: Containing His Pastorals, Georgics, and Æneis. […], London: […] Jacob Tonson, […], →OCLC
Synonyms:

press-gang

Proper noun capitalized: Press

Press

A surname.

press meaning in Hindi, Tamil, Marathi and Urdu

press in Hindi

printing machine: मुद्रणालय mudraṇālay
printed media: प्रेस pres
to apply pressure: दबाना dabānā

press in Tamil

to apply pressure: அழுத்து aḻuttu, அமுக்கு amukku

press in Marathi

to press, compress, squeeze: दाबणे dābṇe
to press, squeeze, compress: चेपणे cepṇe
to press: चुरणे curṇe
to press or squeeze: गाळणे gāḷṇe

press in Urdu

printed media: پَریس pares, پْریس pres, مَطْبُوعات matbū'āt
to apply pressure: دبانا dabānā

More languagesFewer languages

press in Bengali: প্রেস, চাপ, ছাপাখানা, মুদ্রণ
press in Telugu: పిండు piṇḍu, ఒత్తు ottu, అదుము adumu, నొక్కు nokku
press in Malayalam: ഞെക്കുക ñekkuka, തിക്കുക tikkuka, അമർത്തുക amaṟttuka, ഞെക്ക് ñekkŭ
press in Kannada: ಹಿಚುಕು hicuku
press in Punjabi: ਦੱਬਣਾ dabbaṇā
press in Gujarati: દાબવું dābvũ
press in Odia: ପ୍ରେସ୍ କରନ୍ତୁ, ଦବାନ୍ତୁ, ପ୍ରେସ କରନ୍ତୁ
press in Sanskrit: पीडयति pīḍayati
press in Assamese: টিপা tipa, চেপা sepa, হেঁচা hẽsa
press in Nepali: थिच्नु thicnu, दबाउनु dabāunu, चपेट्नु capeṭnu
press in Pashto: مطبوعات matbo'āt
press in Arabic: آلَةُ طِبَاعَة ʔālatu ṭibāʕa, آلَةُ الطِّبَاعَة ʔālatu ṭ-ṭibāʕa, صِحَافَة ṣiḥāfa, صَحَافَة ṣaḥāfa
press in Malay: perah
press in Indonesian: pres, pers, tekan, pencet
press in Persian: فشردن fešordan
press in Thai: หนังสือพิมพ์ nǎng-sʉ̌ʉ-pim, ดัน dan, กด gòt
press in Vietnamese: báo chí, ấn, ép, nhấn
press in Myanmar: စာပုံနှိပ်စက် capumhnipcak, ပုံနှိပ်စက် pumhnipcak, နှိပ် hnip, ဖိ hpi.

Examples of press in a sentence

Imagine the press of humanity in a crowded Parisian brasserie, circa the era when Lagerfeld would have been patronizing such joints.2015 March 10, Tim Banks, “Chanel Fall 2015 Ready-to-Wear Collection”, in Vogue:
The well-to-do had hearts of stone; the rich were brutally bumptious; the Press, the Municipality, all the public men, were ridiculously, vaingloriously self-satisfied.1918, W[illiam] B[abington] Maxwell, chapter XXII, in The Mirror and the Lamp, Indianapolis, Ind.: The Bobbs-Merrill Company, →OCLC:
Elsewhere in Europe, government contracts and subsidies ensure that press barons will only defy the mighty so far.2013 August 10, Lexington, “Keeping the mighty honest”, in The Economist, volume 408, number 8848:
When a side is two or more points down in the match, they may request a press.2014, Nicolae Sfetcu, Sports Betting, page 181:

All 40 example sentences with press

Synonyms of press

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All synonyms of press

Forms of press

Noun
plural	presses
Verb
third-person singular present	presses
present participle	pressing
past participle	pressed
past	pressed
past participle	prest
past	prest
second-person singular present (archaic)	pressest
second-person singular past (archaic)	pressedst
third-person singular present (archaic)	presseth
past participle (archaic)	prest

Past tense of press: pressed

Plural of press: presses

Origin of press

From Middle English presse (“throng, crowd, clothespress”), partially from Old English press (“clothespress”) (from Medieval Latin pressa) and from Old French presse (Modern French presse) from Old French presser (“to press”), from Latin pressāre, from pressus, past participle of premere (“to press”). Chiefly displaced native Middle English thring (“press, crowd, throng”) (from Old English þring (“a press, crowd, anything that presses or confines”)). see English thring

From Middle English pressen (“to crowd, thring, press”), from Old French presser (“to press”) (Modern French presser) from Latin pressāre, from pressus, past participle of premere "to press". Displaced native Middle English thringen (“to press, crowd, throng”) (from Old English þringan (“to press, crowd”)), Middle English thrasten (“to press, force, urge”) (from Old English þrǣstan (“to press, force”)), Old English þryscan (“to press”), Old English þȳwan (“to press, impress”).

Phrases with press

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Words that rhyme with press

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Questions about press

What does press mean?: Press means an instance of applying pressure; an instance of pressing.
What is press in Hindi?: Press in Hindi is मुद्रणालय (mudraṇālay), प्रेस (pres), दबाना (dabānā). See Press meaning in Hindi.
How do you use press in a sentence?: Imagine the press of humanity in a crowded Parisian brasserie, circa the era when Lagerfeld would have been patronizing such joints.
What part of speech is press?: Press can be a noun, a verb or a proper noun.
How do you pronounce press?: Press is pronounced /pɹɛs/ (UK).
What is the plural of press?: The plural of press is presses.

Words near press in the dictionary

Last updated: 2026-09-02

Pronunciation audio from Wikimedia Commons, each file under its own free license: en-uk-press.ogg, en-us-press.ogg.

Cite this entry: “press.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/press. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.