German word

pressen

Pronunciation

IPA/ˈpʁɛsn̩/

Meaning

  • verbsqueeze

Example

Ich presse den Saft aus der Orange.

I squeeze the juice out of the orange.

Illustration for pressen (squeeze)

More examples

Der Zeitdruck presst die Studierenden zu schnellen Entscheidungen.

Time pressure forces the students to make quick decisions.

Core concept

A strong force flattens something or drives its contents outward, and the same force can be applied to people for results or information.

Common phrases

  • Saft pressen

    squeeze juice

  • jemanden in die Enge pressen

    corner someone

  • etwas zusammenpressen

    compress something

Similar words

auspressen: To squeeze liquid out of fruit or fabric by applying force.
drücken: To push something or activate a button with a hand or finger.

Definition in German

durch starken Druck etwas zusammenpressen oder auspressen; im übertragenen Sinn Druck auf Personen ausüben, um Informationen oder Ergebnisse zu erzwingen.

Word origin

German pressen came through French presser from Latin pressare, a formation related to premere, meaning to press.

Usage tips

  • German pressen covers squeezing and extracting, while drücken is normally used for pressing a button.

Other meanings

  • pressverb
  • compressverb

Opposites

Related words

Word lists with this word