to act upon with steadily applied weight or force.
2.
to move by weight or force in a certain direction or into a certain position: The crowd pressed him into a corner.
3.
to compress or squeeze, as to alter in shape or size: He pressed the clay into a ball.
4.
to weigh heavily upon; subject to pressure.
5.
to hold closely, as in an embrace; clasp: He pressed her in his arms.
6.
to flatten or make smooth, esp. by ironing: to press clothes; to press flowers in the leaves of a book.
7.
to extract juice, sugar, etc., from by pressure: to press grapes.
8.
to squeeze out or express, as juice: to press the juice from grapes.
9.
to beset or harass; afflict: He was pressed by problems on all sides.
10.
to trouble or oppress; put into a difficult position, as by depriving: Poverty pressed them hard.
11.
to urge or entreat strongly or insistently: to press for payment of a debt; to press for an answer.
12.
to emphasize or propound forcefully; insist upon: He pressed his own ideas on us.
13.
to plead with insistence: to press a claim.
14.
to urge onward; hasten: He pressed his horse to go faster.
15.
to push forward.
–verb (used without object)
16.
to manufacture (phonograph records, videodiscs, or the like), esp. by stamping from a mold or matrix.
17.
to exert weight, force, or pressure.
18.
Weightlifting. to raise or lift, esp. a specified amount of weight, in a press.
19.
to iron clothing, curtains, etc.
20.
to bear heavily, as upon the mind.
21.
(of athletes and competitors) to perform tensely or overanxiously, as when one feels pressured or is determined to break out of a slump; strain because of frustration: For days he hasn't seemed able to buy a hit, and he's been pressing.
22.
to compel haste: Time presses.
23.
to demand immediate attention.
24.
to use urgent entreaty: to press for an answer.
25.
to push forward or advance with force, eagerness, or haste: The army pressed to reach the river by dawn.
26.
to crowd or throng.
27.
Basketball. to employ a press.
–noun
28.
an act of pressing; pressure.
29.
the state of being pressed.
30.
printed publications collectively, esp. newspapers and periodicals.
31.
all the media and agencies that print, broadcast, or gather and transmit news, including newspapers, newsmagazines, radio and television news bureaus, and wire services.
32.
the editorial employees, taken collectively, of these media and agencies.
33.
(often used with a plural verb) a group of news reporters, or of news reporters and news photographers: The press are in the outer office, waiting for a statement.
34.
the consensus of the general critical commentary or the amount of coverage accorded a person, thing, or event, esp. in newspapers and periodicals (often prec. by good or bad): The play received a good press. The minister's visit got a bad press.
an establishment for printing books, magazines, etc.
37.
the process or art of printing.
38.
any of various devices or machines for exerting pressure, stamping, or crushing.
39.
a wooden or metal viselike device for preventing a tennis or other racket from warping when not in use.
40.
a pressing or pushing forward.
41.
a crowding, thronging, or pressing together; collective force: The press of the crowd drove them on.
42.
a crowd, throng, or multitude.
43.
the desired smooth or creased effect caused by ironing or pressing: His suit was out of press.
44.
pressure or urgency, as of affairs or business.
45.
an upright case or other piece of furniture for holding clothes, books, pamphlets, etc.
46.
Basketball. an aggressive form of defense in which players guard opponents very closely.
47.
Weightlifting. a lift in which the barbell, after having been lifted from the ground up to chest level, is pushed to a position overhead with the arms extended straight up, without moving the legs or feet.
—Idioms
48.
go to press, to begin being printed: The last edition has gone to press.
[Origin: 1175–1225; (n.) ME press(e) throng, company, trouble, machine for pressing, clothespress < OF, deriv. of presser to press < L pressāre, freq. of premere (ptp. pressus) to press (cf. rare OE press clothespress < ML pressa, n. use of fem. of pressus); (v.) ME pressen (< OF presser) < L pressāre, as above]
To exert steady weight or force against; bear down on.
To squeeze the juice or other contents from.
To extract (juice, for example) by squeezing or compressing.
To reshape or make compact by applying steady force; compress.
To iron (clothing, for example).
To reshape or make compact by applying steady force; compress.
To iron (clothing, for example).
To clasp in fondness or politeness.
To try to influence, as by insistent arguments; importune or entreat: He pressed her for a reply.
To urge or force to action; impel.
To place in trying or distressing circumstances; harass or oppress.
To move (keys on a computer keyboard, for example) by applying pressure.
To lay stress on; emphasize.
To advance or carry on vigorously: "Far from backing down, he pressed the attack"(Justin Kaplan).
To put forward importunately or insistently: press an argument.
To make (a phonograph record or videodisc) from a mold or matrix.
Sports To lift (a weight) to a position above the head without moving the legs.
v.
intr.
To exert force or pressure.
To weigh heavily, as on the mind.
To advance eagerly; push forward.
To require haste; be urgent.
To iron clothes or other material.
To assemble closely and in large numbers; crowd.
To employ urgent persuasion or entreaty.
Sports To raise or lift a weight in a press.
Basketball To employ a press.
n.
Any of various machines or devices that apply pressure.
Any of various machines used for printing; a printing press.
A place or establishment where matter is printed.
The art, method, or business of printing.
The collecting and publishing or broadcasting of news; journalism in general.
The entirety of media and agencies that collect, publish, transmit, or broadcast the news.
The people involved in the media, as news reporters, photographers, publishers, and broadcasters.
Commentary or coverage especially in print media: "Like the pool hall and the tattoo parlor, the motorcycle usually gets a bad press"(R.Z. Sheppard).
The act of applying pressure.
The state of being pressed.
The act of gathering in large numbers or of pushing forward.
A large gathering; a throng. See Synonyms at crowd1.
The act of applying pressure.
The state of being pressed.
The haste or urgency of business or matters.
The set of proper creases in a garment or fabric, formed by ironing.
Chiefly Northeastern U.S. An upright closet or case used for storing clothing, books, or other articles.
A viselike device for keeping a racket from warping.
Sports A lift in weightlifting in which the weight is raised to shoulder level and then steadily pushed straight overhead without movement of the legs.
Basketball An aggressive defense tactic in which players guard opponents closely, often over the entire court.
[Middle English pressen, from Old French presser, from Latin pressāre, frequentative of premere, to press; see per-4 in Indo-European roots.]
To force into service in the army or navy; impress.
To take arbitrarily or by force, especially for public use.
To use in a manner different from the usual or intended, especially in an emergency.
n.
Conscription or impressment into service, especially into the army or navy.
Obsolete An official warrant for impressing men into military service.
[Alteration of obsolete prest, to hire for military service by advance payment, from Middle English, enlistment money, loan, from Old French, from prester, to lend, from Medieval Latin praestāre, from Latin, to furnish, from praestō, present, at hand; see ghes- in Indo-European roots.]
"crowd, multitude," c.1225, from O.Fr. presse (11c.), from L. pressare (see press (v.1)). Sense of "to urge, compel, force" (now mostly in adj. pressing, 1705) is recorded from 1390. Basketball defense so called from 1961. Meaning "machine for squeezing" (e.g. winepress) is recorded from 1362, from M.Fr. presse. Specific sense "machine for printing" is from 1535; extended to publishing houses by 1579 and to publishing generally (in phrases like freedom of the press) c.1680. This gradually shifted c.1800-1820 to "periodical publishing, journalism." Meaning "journalists collectively" is attested from 1926. Press agent is from 1883; press conference is attested from 1937, though the thing itself dates to at least World War I. Press secretary is recorded from 1959.
"push against," c.1300, from O.Fr. preser (13c.), from L. pressare "to press," frequentative of pressus, p.p. of premere "to press, hold fast, cover, crowd, compress," from PIE *prem-/*pres- "to strike." Weight-lifting sense is attested from 1908.
"force into service," 1578, alteration (by association with press (v.1)) of prest (c.1360) "engage by loan, pay in advance," especially money paid to a soldier or sailor on enlisting, from L. præstare "to provide," from præ- "before" + stare "to stand," from PIE base *sta- "to stand" (see stet). Related to præsto (adv.) "ready, available."
a tall piece of furniture that provides storage space for clothes; has a door and rails or hooks for hanging clothes [syn: wardrobe]
6.
clamp to prevent wooden rackets from warping when not in use
7.
any machine that exerts pressure to form or shape or cut materials or extract liquids or compress solids
8.
a weightlift in which the barbell is lifted to shoulder height and then smoothly lifted overhead
9.
the act of pressing; the exertion of pressure; "he gave the button a press"; "he used pressure to stop the bleeding"; "at the pressing of a button"
verb
1.
exert pressure or force to or upon; "He pressed down on the boards"; "press your thumb on this spot"
2.
force or impel in an indicated direction; "I urged him to finish his studies" [syn: urge]
3.
to be oppressive or burdensome; "weigh heavily on the mind", "Something pressed on his mind" [syn: weigh]
4.
place between two surfaces and apply weight or pressure; "pressed flowers"
5.
squeeze or press together; "she compressed her lips"; "the spasm contracted the muscle" [syn: compress]
6.
crowd closely; "The crowds pressed along the street"
7.
create by pressing; "Press little holes into the soft clay"
8.
be urgent; "This is a pressing problem"
9.
exert oneself continuously, vigorously, or obtrusively to gain an end or engage in a crusade for a certain cause or person; be an advocate for; "The liberal party pushed for reforms"; "She is crusading for women's rights"; "The Dean is pushing for his favorite candidate" [syn: crusade]
10.
press from a plastic; "press a record"
11.
make strenuous pushing movements during birth to expel the baby; "'Now push hard,' said the doctor to the woman"
12.
press and smooth with a heated iron; "press your shirts"; "she stood there ironing" [syn: iron]
13.
lift weights; "This guy can press 300 pounds" [syn: weight-lift]
14.
ask for or request earnestly; "The prophet bid all people to become good persons" [syn: bid]
Cyl"in*der\ (s?l"?n-d?r), n. [F. cylindre, OF. cilindre, L. cylindrus, fr. Gr. ky`lindros, fr. kyli`ndein, kyli`ein, to roll. Cf. Calender the machine.]1. (Geom.) (a) A solid body which may be generated by the rotation of a parallelogram round one its sides; or a body of rollerlike form, of which the longitudinal section is oblong, and the cross section is circular. (b) The space inclosed by any cylindrical surface. The space may be limited or unlimited in length. 2. Any hollow body of cylindrical form, as: (a) The chamber of a steam engine in which the piston is moved by the force of steam. (b) The barrel of an air or other pump. (c) (Print.) The revolving platen or bed which produces the impression or carries the type in a cylinder press. (d) The bore of a gun; the turning chambered breech of a revolver. 3. The revolving square prism carrying the cards in a Jacquard loom. Cylinder axis. (Anat.) See Axis cylinder, under Axis. Cylinder engine (Paper Making), a machine in which a cylinder takes up the pulp and delivers it in a continuous sheet to the dryers. Cylinder escapement. See Escapement. Cylinder glass. See Glass. Cylinder mill. See Roller mill. Cylinder press. See Press.
De*press"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Depressed; p. pr. & vb. n. Depressing.] [L. depressus, p. p. of deprimere; de- + premere to press. See Press.]1. To press down; to cause to sink; to let fall; to lower; as, to depress the muzzle of a gun; to depress the eyes. "With lips depressed." --Tennyson. 2. To bring down or humble; to abase, as pride. 3. To cast a gloom upon; to sadden; as, his spirits were depressed. 4. To lessen the activity of; to make dull; embarrass, as trade, commerce, etc. 5. To lessen in price; to cause to decline in value; to cheapen; to depreciate. 6. (Math.) To reduce (an equation) in a lower degree. To depress the pole (Naut.), to cause the sidereal pole to appear lower or nearer the horizon, as by sailing toward the equator. Syn: To sink; lower; abase; cast down; deject; humble; degrade; dispirit; discourage.
Ex*press"\ ([e^]ks*pr[e^]s"), a. [F. expr[`e]s, L. expressus, p. p. of exprimere to express; ex. out + premere To press. See Press.]1. Exactly representing; exact. Their human countenance The express resemblance of the gods. --Milton. 2. Directly and distinctly stated; declared in terms; not implied or left to inference; made unambiguous by intention and care; clear; not dubious; as, express consent; an express statement. I have express commandment. --Shak. 3. Intended for a particular purpose; relating to an express; sent on a particular errand; dispatched with special speed; as, an express messenger or train. Also used adverbially. A messenger sent express from the other world. --Atterbury. Express color. (Law) See the Note under Color, n., 8. Syn: Explicit; clear; unambiguous. See Explicit.
Im*press"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Impressed; p. pr. & vb. n. Impressing.] [L. impressus, p. p. of imprimere to impress; pref. im- in, on + premere to press. See Press to squeeze, and cf. Imprint.]1. To press, stamp, or print something in or upon; to mark by pressure, or as by pressure; to imprint (that which bears the impression). His heart, like an agate, with your print impressed. --Shak. 2. To produce by pressure, as a mark, stamp, image, etc.; to imprint (a mark or figure upon something). 3. Fig.: To fix deeply in the mind; to present forcibly to the attention, etc.; to imprint; to inculcate. Impress the motives of persuasion upon our own hearts till we feel the force of them. --I. Watts. 4. [See Imprest, Impress, n., 5.] To take by force for public service; as, to impress sailors or money. The second five thousand pounds impressed for the service of the sick and wounded prisoners. --Evelyn.
Im"press\, n.; pl. Impresses. 1. The act of impressing or making. 2. A mark made by pressure; an indentation; imprint; the image or figure of anything, formed by pressure or as if by pressure; result produced by pressure or influence. The impresses of the insides of these shells. --Woodward. This weak impress of love is as a figure Trenched in ice. --Shak. 3. Characteristic; mark of distinction; stamp. --South. 4. A device. See Impresa. --Cussans. To describe . . . emblazoned shields, Impresses quaint. --Milton. 5. [See Imprest, Press to force into service.] The act of impressing, or taking by force for the public service; compulsion to serve; also, that which is impressed. Why such impress of shipwrights? --Shak. Impress gang, a party of men, with an officer, employed to impress seamen for ships of war; a press gang. Impress money, a sum of money paid, immediately upon their entering service, to men who have been impressed.
Op*press"\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Oppressed; p. pr. & vb. n. Oppressing.] [F. oppresser, LL. oppressare, fr. L. oppressus, p. p. of opprimere; ob (see Ob-) + premere to press. See Press.]1. To impose excessive burdens upon; to overload; hence, to treat with unjust rigor or with cruelty. --Wyclif. For thee, oppress[`e]d king, am I cast down. --Shak. Behold the kings of the earth; how they oppress Thy chosen ! --Milton. 2. To ravish; to violate. [Obs.] --Chaucer. 3. To put down; to crush out; to suppress. [Obs.] The mutiny he there hastes to oppress. --Shak. 4. To produce a sensation of weight in (some part of the body); as, my lungs are oppressed by the damp air; excess of food oppresses the stomach.
Press\, n. (Zo["o]l.) An East Indian insectivore (Tupaia ferruginea). It is arboreal in its habits, and has a bushy tail. The fur is soft, and varies from rusty red to maroon and to brownish black.
Press\, v. t. [Corrupt. fr. prest ready money advanced, a loan; hence, earnest money given soldiers on entering service. See Prest, n.] To force into service, particularly into naval service; to impress. To peaceful peasant to the wars is pressed. --Dryden.
Press\, n. [For prest, confused with press.] A commission to force men into public service, particularly into the navy. I have misused the king's press. --Shak. Press gang, or Pressgang, a detachment of seamen under the command of an officer empowered to force men into the naval service. See Impress gang, under Impress. Press money, money paid to a man enlisted into public service. See Prest money, under Prest, a.
Press\, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Pressed; p. pr. & vb. n. Pressing.] [F. presser, fr. L. pressare to press, fr. premere, pressum, to press. Cf. Print, v.]1. To urge, or act upon, with force, as weight; to act upon by pushing or thrusting, in distinction from pulling; to crowd or compel by a gradual and continued exertion; to bear upon; to squeeze; to compress; as, we press the ground with the feet when we walk; we press the couch on which we repose; we press substances with the hands, fingers, or arms; we are pressed in a crowd. Good measure, pressed down, and shaken together. --Luke vi. 38. 2. To squeeze, in order to extract the juice or contents of; to squeeze out, or express, from something. From sweet kernels pressed, She tempers dulcet creams. --Milton. And I took the grapes, and pressed them into Pharaoh's cup, and I gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand. --Gen. xl. 11. 3. To squeeze in or with suitable instruments or apparatus, in order to compact, make dense, or smooth; as, to press cotton bales, paper, etc.; to smooth by ironing; as, to press clothes. 4. To embrace closely; to hug. Leucothoe shook at these alarms, And pressed Palemon closer in her arms. --Pope. 5. To oppress; to bear hard upon. Press not a falling man too far. --Shak. 6. To straiten; to distress; as, to be pressed with want or hunger. 7. To exercise very powerful or irresistible influence upon or over; to constrain; to force; to compel. Paul was pressed in the spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus was Christ. --Acts xviii. 5. 8. To try to force (something upon some one); to urge or inculcate with earnestness or importunity; to enforce; as, to press divine truth on an audience. He pressed a letter upon me within this hour. --Dryden. Be sure to press upon him every motive. --Addison. 9. To drive with violence; to hurry; to urge on; to ply hard; as, to press a horse in a race. The posts . . . went cut, being hastened and pressed on, by the king's commandment. --Esther viii. 14. Note: Press differs from drive and strike in usually denoting a slow or continued application of force; whereas drive and strike denote a sudden impulse of force. Pressed brick. See under Brick.
Press\, v. i. 1. To exert pressure; to bear heavily; to push, crowd, or urge with steady force. 2. To move on with urging and crowding; to make one's way with violence or effort; to bear onward forcibly; to crowd; to throng; to encroach. They pressed upon him for to touch him. --Mark iii. 10. 3. To urge with vehemence or importunity; to exert a strong or compelling influence; as, an argument presses upon the judgment.
Press\, n. [F. presse. See 4th Press.]1. An apparatus or machine by which any substance or body is pressed, squeezed, stamped, or shaped, or by which an impression of a body is taken; sometimes, the place or building containing a press or presses. Note: Presses are differently constructed for various purposes in the arts, their specific uses being commonly designated; as, a cotton press, a wine press, a cider press, a copying press, etc. See Drill press. 2. Specifically, a printing press. 3. The art or business of printing and publishing; hence, printed publications, taken collectively, more especially newspapers or the persons employed in writing for them; as, a free press is a blessing, a licentious press is a curse. 4. An upright case or closet for the safe keeping of articles; as, a clothes press. --Shak. 5. The act of pressing or thronging forward. In their throng and press to that last hold. --Shak. 6. Urgent demands of business or affairs; urgency; as, a press of engagements. 7. A multitude of individuals crowded together; ? crowd of single things; a throng. They could not come nigh unto him for the press. --Mark ii. 4. Cylinder press, a printing press in which the impression is produced by a revolving cylinder under which the form passes; also, one in which the form of type or plates is curved around a cylinder, instead of resting on a flat bed. Hydrostatic press. See under Hydrostatic. Liberty of the press, the free right of publishing books, pamphlets, or papers, without previous restraint or censorship, subject only to punishment for libelous, seditious, or morally pernicious matters. Press bed, a bed that may be folded, and inclosed, in a press or closet. --Boswell. Press of sail, (Naut.), as much sail as the state of the wind will permit.
Press\, n. [F. presse. See 4th Press.]1. An apparatus or machine by which any substance or body is pressed, squeezed, stamped, or shaped, or by which an impression of a body is taken; sometimes, the place or building containing a press or presses. Note: Presses are differently constructed for various purposes in the arts, their specific uses being commonly designated; as, a cotton press, a wine press, a cider press, a copying press, etc. See Drill press. 2. Specifically, a printing press. 3. The art or business of printing and publishing; hence, printed publications, taken collectively, more especially newspapers or the persons employed in writing for them; as, a free press is a blessing, a licentious press is a curse. 4. An upright case or closet for the safe keeping of articles; as, a clothes press. --Shak. 5. The act of pressing or thronging forward. In their throng and press to that last hold. --Shak. 6. Urgent demands of business or affairs; urgency; as, a press of engagements. 7. A multitude of individuals crowded together; ? crowd of single things; a throng. They could not come nigh unto him for the press. --Mark ii. 4. Cylinder press, a printing press in which the impression is produced by a revolving cylinder under which the form passes; also, one in which the form of type or plates is curved around a cylinder, instead of resting on a flat bed. Hydrostatic press. See under Hydrostatic. Liberty of the press, the free right of publishing books, pamphlets, or papers, without previous restraint or censorship, subject only to punishment for libelous, seditious, or morally pernicious matters. Press bed, a bed that may be folded, and inclosed, in a press or closet. --Boswell. Press of sail, (Naut.), as much sail as the state of the wind will permit.
Pres"sion\, n. [L. pressio: cf. F. pression. See 4th Press.]1. The act of pressing; pressure. --Sir I. Newton. 2. (Cartesian Philos.) An endeavor to move.
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