SQUEEZE

I. verb (~d; squeezing) Etymology: alteration of obsolete English quease, from Middle English queysen, from Old English cwȳsan; akin to Icelandic kveisa stomach cramps Date: circa 1601 transitive verb 1. to exert pressure especially on opposite sides of ; compress , to extract or emit under pressure, to force or thrust by compression, 2. a. to get by extortion, to deprive by extortion, to cause economic hardship to, to reduce the amount of , to crowd into a limited area, to gain or win by a narrow margin, to force (another player) to discard in bridge so as to unguard a suit, to score by means of a ~ play, intransitive verb to give way before pressure, to exert pressure, to force one's way , to pass, win, or get by narrowly, squeezability noun squeezable adjective ~r noun II. noun Date: 1611 1. an act or instance of squeezing ; compression , handclasp , 2. a quantity ~d out from something , a group crowded together ; crowd , a profit taken by a middleman on goods or transactions, a financial pressure caused by narrowing margins or by shortages, a forced discard in bridge, ~ play , a romantic partner