Squeeze - Definition

n 1: the act of gripping and pressing firmly; "he gave her cheek
a playful squeeze" [syn: squeeze, squeezing]
2: a state in which there is a short supply of cash to lend to
businesses and consumers and interest rates are high [syn:
credit crunch, liquidity crisis, squeeze]
3: a situation in which increased costs cannot be passed on to
the customer; "increased expenses put a squeeze on profits"
4: (slang) a person's girlfriend or boyfriend; "she was his main
squeeze"
5: a twisting squeeze; "gave the wet cloth a wring" [syn:
squeeze, wring]
6: an aggressive attempt to compel acquiescence by the
concentration or manipulation of power; "she laughed at this
sexual power play and walked away" [syn: power play,
squeeze play, squeeze]
7: a tight or amorous embrace; "come here and give me a big hug"
[syn: hug, clinch, squeeze]
8: the act of forcing yourself (or being forced) into or through
a restricted space; "getting through that small opening was a
tight squeeze"
v 1: to compress with violence, out of natural shape or
condition; "crush an aluminum can"; "squeeze a lemon" [syn:
squash, crush, squelch, mash, squeeze]
2: press firmly; "He squeezed my hand"
3: squeeze like a wedge into a tight space; "I squeezed myself
into the corner" [syn: wedge, squeeze, force]
4: to cause to do through pressure or necessity, by physical,
moral or intellectual means :"She forced him to take a job in
the city"; "He squeezed her for information" [syn: coerce,
hale, squeeze, pressure, force]
5: obtain by coercion or intimidation; "They extorted money from
the executive by threatening to reveal his past to the
company boss"; "They squeezed money from the owner of the
business by threatening him" [syn: extort, squeeze,
rack, gouge, wring]
6: press or force; "Stuff money into an envelope"; "She thrust
the letter into his hand" [syn: thrust, stuff, shove,
squeeze]
7: squeeze tightly between the fingers; "He pinched her behind";
"She squeezed the bottle" [syn: pinch, squeeze, twinge,
tweet, nip, twitch]
8: squeeze (someone) tightly in your arms, usually with
fondness; "Hug me, please"; "They embraced"; "He hugged her
close to him" [syn: embrace, hug, bosom, squeeze]
9: squeeze or press together; "she compressed her lips"; "the
spasm contracted the muscle" [syn: compress, constrict,
squeeze, compact, contract, press]