presspress1 /prɛs/ ●●● verb
1
WITH FINGER [transitive] to push something with your finger in order to make a machine start, a bell ring, etc.:
What happens if I press this button?
Mrs. Mott pressed the doorbell again.
Press F3 to save the document.2PUSH AGAINST [transitive] to push something firmly against a surface:
He pressed some money into her hand.
Their faces were pressed against the window.3IRON [transitive] to make clothes smooth using heat SYN iron:
I need to have this suit cleaned and pressed.4press charges to say officially that someone has done something illegal so that a court must decide if s/he is guilty5PERSUADE [transitive] to try very hard to persuade someone to do something or tell you something:
He pressed me to accept the job.
Detectives had been pressing him for details.6MOVE [intransitive] to move in a particular direction by pushing:
The crowd pressed forward to see what was happening.7HEAVY WEIGHT [transitive] to put pressure or weight on something to make it flat, crush it, etc.:
a machine for pressing grapesTHESAURUSsquash – to press something and damage it by making it flat:
Put the tomatoes where they won’t get squashed.crush – to press something very hard so that it is broken or destroyed:
His leg was crushed in the accident.mash – to press fruit or cooked vegetables until they are soft and smooth:
Mash the potatoes well.grind – to press something into powder using a special machine:
Can you grind the coffee beans?squeeze – to press something from both sides, usually with your fingers:
Squeeze the toothpaste tube from the bottom.compress formal – to press something so that it takes up less space:
The pump compresses the air, forcing it through a tube into the tire.compact formal – to press something together so that it becomes smaller or more solid:
The machine compacts household trash.press on/ahead phrasal verb to continue doing something without stopping:
The army crossed the river and pressed on to the border.
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