pressure

English

Etymology

From Old French, from Latin pressūra.

Pronunciation

• enPR: prĕshʹ-ə(r), IPA^(key): /ˈpɹɛʃə(ɹ)/
  • (UK) IPA^(key):
  • (US) IPA^(key):

  • Audio (US)

    (file)

• Rhymes: -ɛʃə(ɹ)
• Hyphenation: pres‧sure

Noun

pressure (countable and uncountable, plural pressures)

1. A pressing; a force applied to a surface.

   Apply pressure to the wound to stop the bleeding.

2. A contrasting force or impulse of any kind

   the pressure of poverty; the pressure of taxes; the pressure of motives on the mind; the pressure of civilization.

   • 1849–1861, Thomas Babington Macaulay, chapter 16, in The History of England from the Accession of James the Second, volumes (please specify |volume=I to V), London: Longman, Brown, Green, and Longmans, →OCLC:

     When the pressure of danger was not felt.

   • 2017, BioWare, Mass Effect: Andromeda (Science Fiction), Redwood City: Electronic Arts, →OCLC, PC, scene: Disrupt Enemy Supplies:

     Hostile forces are putting pressure on our people. Take out their supply line to give our troops room to breathe.

3. Distress.

   She has felt pressure lately because her boss expects her to get the job done by the first.

   • 1649, Eikon Basilike:

     My people's pressures are grievous.

   • October 31, 1708, Francis Atterbury, a sermon preach'd before the Queen at St. James's

     In the midst of his great troubles and pressures.

   • 2020 May 20, Paul Bigland, “East London Line's renaissance”, in Rail, page 49:

     Thirty-five years ago, many journeys around London meant having to pass through the centre of the capital. That's no longer the case, which takes real pressure off the city's termini as well as underground routes such as the Circle Line.

4. Urgency

   the pressure of business

5. (obsolete) Impression; stamp; character impressed.
   • c. 1599–1602 (date written), William Shakespeare, “The Tragedie of Hamlet, Prince of Denmarke”, in Mr. William Shakespeares Comedies, Histories, & Tragedies  (First Folio), London: Isaac Iaggard, and Ed Blount, published 1623, →OCLC, :

     All saws of books, all forms, all pressures past.

6. (physics) The amount of force that is applied over a given area divided by the size of this area; force per unit area.

Synonyms

• (distress): affliction, grievance
• (urgency): press

Derived terms

Translations

Verb

pressure (third-person singular simple present pressures, present participle pressuring, simple past and past participle pressured)

1. (transitive) To encourage or heavily exert force or influence.

   Do not let anyone pressure you into buying something you do not want.

Translations

See also

• (units of pressure): pascal (Pa); bar, barye (Ba); pounds per square inch (psi, lbf/in², lb/in²), torr, mmHg, atmosphere (atm)

Anagrams

• perusers

French

Pronunciation

• Homophones: pressurent, pressures

Verb

pressure

1. inflection of pressurer:
   1. first/third-person singular present indicative/subjunctive
   2. second-person singular imperative

Latin

Participle

pressūre

1. vocative masculine singular of pressūrus

Old French

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin pressūra.

Noun

pressure oblique singular, f (oblique plural pressures, nominative singular pressure, nominative plural pressures)

1. pressure (action or result of pressing)

Descendants

• → English: pressure