Library / English Dictionary

PRESSURE

Pronunciation (US):

(GB):

 I. (noun) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

The act of pressing; the exertion of pressure

Example:

at the pressing of a button

Synonyms:

press; pressing; pressure

Classified under:

Nouns denoting acts or actions

Hypernyms ("pressure" is a kind of...):

push; pushing (the act of applying force in order to move something away)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "pressure"):

impression (the act of pressing one thing on or into the surface of another)

compressing; compression (applying pressure)

Derivation:

press (exert pressure or force to or upon)

Sense 2

Meaning:

A force that compels

Example:

the public brought pressure to bear on the government

Classified under:

Nouns denoting attributes of people and objects

Hypernyms ("pressure" is a kind of...):

force (a powerful effect or influence)

Derivation:

press (force or impel in an indicated direction)

pressure (to cause to do through pressure or necessity, by physical, moral or intellectual means)

pressure (exert pressure on someone through threats)

Sense 3

Meaning:

The somatic sensation that results from applying force to an area of skin

Example:

the sensitivity of his skin to pressure and temperature was normal

Synonyms:

pressure; pressure sensation

Classified under:

Nouns denoting cognitive processes and contents

Hypernyms ("pressure" is a kind of...):

somaesthesia; somatesthesia; somatic sensation; somesthesia (the perception of tactual or proprioceptive or gut sensations)

Sense 4

Meaning:

The pressure exerted by the atmosphere

Synonyms:

air pressure; atmospheric pressure; pressure

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural phenomena

Hypernyms ("pressure" is a kind of...):

gas pressure (the pressure exerted by a gas)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "pressure"):

barometric pressure (atmospheric pressure as indicated by a barometer)

compartment pressure (the air pressure maintained in an air-tight compartment (as in an aircraft))

overpressure (a transient air pressure greater than the surrounding atmospheric pressure)

sea-level pressure (the atmospheric pressure reduced by a formula to the pressure at sea level)

Sense 5

Meaning:

The force applied to a unit area of surface; measured in pascals (SI unit) or in dynes (cgs unit)

Example:

the compressed gas exerts an increased pressure

Synonyms:

force per unit area; pressure; pressure level

Classified under:

Nouns denoting natural phenomena

Hypernyms ("pressure" is a kind of...):

physical phenomenon (a natural phenomenon involving the physical properties of matter and energy)

Hyponyms (each of the following is a kind of "pressure"):

vapor pressure; vapour pressure (the pressure exerted by a vapor; often understood to mean saturated vapor pressure (the vapor pressure of a vapor in contact with its liquid form))

suction (a force over an area produced by a pressure difference)

instantaneous sound pressure; sound pressure (the difference between the instantaneous pressure at a point in a sound field and the average pressure at that point)

corpuscular-radiation pressure; radiation pressure (the minute pressure exerted on a surface normal to the direction of propagation of a wave)

osmotic pressure ((physical chemistry) the pressure exerted by a solution necessary to prevent osmosis into that solution when it is separated from the pure solvent by a semipermeable membrane)

oil pressure (pressure that keeps oil on the moving parts of an internal-combustion engine)

intraocular pressure; IOP (pressure exerted by the fluids inside the eyeball; regulated by resistance to the outward flow of aqueous humor)

hydrostatic head (the pressure at a given point in a liquid measured in terms of the vertical height of a column of the liquid needed to produce the same pressure)

head (the pressure exerted by a fluid)

gas pressure (the pressure exerted by a gas)

blood pressure (the pressure of the circulating blood against the walls of the blood vessels; results from the systole of the left ventricle of the heart; sometimes measured for a quick evaluation of a person's health)

Derivation:

pressurize (increase the pressure on a gas or liquid)

pressurize (maintain a certain pressure)

pressurize (increase the pressure in or of)

pressurise (increase the pressure on a gas or liquid)

pressurise (maintain a certain pressure)

pressurise (increase the pressure in or of)

press (exert pressure or force to or upon)

Sense 6

Meaning:

The state of demanding notice or attention

Example:

the press of business matters

Synonyms:

imperativeness; insistence; insistency; press; pressure

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Hypernyms ("pressure" is a kind of...):

urgency (the state of being urgent; an earnest and insistent necessity)

Derivation:

press (be urgent)

pressure (to cause to do through pressure or necessity, by physical, moral or intellectual means)

pressure (exert pressure on someone through threats)

Sense 7

Meaning:

An oppressive condition of physical or mental or social or economic distress

Classified under:

Nouns denoting stable states of affairs

Hypernyms ("pressure" is a kind of...):

distress (a state of adversity (danger or affliction or need))

 II. (verb) 

Sense 1

Meaning:

To cause to do through pressure or necessity, by physical, moral or intellectual means

Example:

He squeezed her for information

Synonyms:

coerce; force; hale; pressure; squeeze

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Hypernyms (to "pressure" is one way to...):

compel; obligate; oblige (force somebody to do something)

Cause:

act; move (perform an action, or work out or perform (an action))

Troponyms (each of the following is one way to "pressure"):

turn up the heat; turn up the pressure (apply great or increased pressure)

drive (to compel or force or urge relentlessly or exert coercive pressure on, or motivate strongly)

bludgeon (overcome or coerce as if by using a heavy club)

steamroll; steamroller (bring to a specified state by overwhelming force or pressure)

squeeze for (squeeze someone for money, information, etc.)

dragoon; railroad; sandbag (compel by coercion, threats, or crude means)

terrorise; terrorize (coerce by violence or with threats)

bring oneself (cause to undertake a certain action, usually used in the negative)

Sentence frames:

Somebody ----s somebody to INFINITIVE
Somebody ----s somebody into V-ing something

Sentence example:

They pressure him to write the letter

Derivation:

pressure (a force that compels)

pressure (the state of demanding notice or attention)

Sense 2

Meaning:

Exert pressure on someone through threats

Synonyms:

blackjack; blackmail; pressure

Classified under:

Verbs of political and social activities and events

Hypernyms (to "pressure" is one way to...):

act upon; influence; work (have and exert influence or effect)

Sentence frame:

Somebody ----s somebody

Derivation:

pressure (a force that compels)

pressure (the state of demanding notice or attention)

Credits

 Context examples: 

This allele, which encodes angiotensinogen protein, plays a role in the modulation of blood pressure.

(AGT wt Allele, NCI Thesaurus)

The recurring words, “water pressure” and “pressure to the square inch” suggested some possible relation to a submarine.

(His Last Bow, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle)

A non-SI manometric unit of pressure defined by a column of water at 4 degrees Celsius with a height of one millimeter.

(Millimeter of Water Column, NCI Thesaurus)

A non-SI unit of pressure equal to 133,332 Pa or 1.316E10-3 standard atmosphere.

(Millimeter of Mercury, NCI Thesaurus)

A unit of pressure expressed in milliliter(s) per centimeter of water.

(Milliliter per Centimeter of Water, NCI Thesaurus)

This was the last sentence by which he could weary Catherine's attention, for he was just then borne off by the resistless pressure of a long string of passing ladies.

(Northanger Abbey, by Jane Austen)

A unit of measure equal to the number of milliliters per unit of time equal to one minute per unit of pressure equal to one milliter of mercury (mmHg).

(Milliliter per Minute per Millimeters of Mercury, NCI Thesaurus/CDISC)

A drug that is used to lower blood pressure.

(ACE inhibitor, NCI Dictionary)

From there they constrict the linings of the blood vessels and the nervous system, and raise blood pressure.

(Air Pollution Can Trigger Glaucoma, The Titi Tudorancea Bulletin)

These hormones help control heart rate, blood pressure, and other important body functions.

(Adrenal gland, NCI Dictionary)