press (presses plural & 3rd person present) (pressing present participle) (pressed past tense & past participle )
1 verb If you press something somewhere, you push it firmly against something else.
He pressed his back against the door... V n against n
They pressed the silver knife into the cake. V n prep
2 verb If you press a button or switch, you push it with your finger in order to make a machine or device work.
Drago pressed a button and the door closed... V n
Press is also a noun., n-count usu sing
...a TV which rises from a table at the press of a button.
3 verb If you press something or press down on it, you push hard against it with your foot or hand.
The engine stalled. He pressed the accelerator hard... V n
She stood up and leaned forward with her hands pressing down on the desk. V adv
4 verb If you press for something, you try hard to persuade someone to give it to you or to agree to it.
(=push)
Police might now press for changes in the law... V for n
They had pressed for their children to be taught French. V for n to-inf
5 verb If you press someone, you try hard to persuade them to do something.
Trade unions are pressing him to stand firm... V n to-inf
Mr King seems certain to be pressed for further details... be V-ed for/about n
She smiles coyly when pressed about her private life. be V-ed for/about n
6 verb If someone presses their claim, demand, or point, they state it in a very forceful way.
The protest campaign has used mass strikes and demonstrations to press its demands... V n
7 verb If an unpleasant feeling or worry presses on you, it affects you very much or you are always thinking about it.
The weight of irrational guilt pressed on her... V on n
8 verb If you press something on someone, you give it to them and insist that they take it.
All I had was money, which I pressed on her reluctant mother... V n on n
9 verb If you press clothes, you iron them in order to get rid of the creases.
(=iron)
Vera pressed his shirt... V n
...clean, neatly pressed, conservative clothes. V-ed
10 verb If you press fruits or vegetables, you squeeze them or crush them, usually in order to extract the juice.
The grapes are hand-picked and pressed... be V-ed
I pressed the juice of half a lemon into a glass of water. V n
...1 clove fresh garlic, pressed or diced. V-ed
11 n-sing-coll Newspapers are referred to as the press.
the N
Today the British press is full of articles on India's new prime minister..., Press reports revealed that ozone levels in the upper atmosphere fell during the past month.
12 n-sing-coll Journalists are referred to as the press.
the N
Christie looked relaxed and calm as he faced the press afterwards...
13 n-count A press or a printing press is a machine used for printing things such as books and newspapers.
15 If someone or something gets a bad press, they are criticized, especially in the newspapers, on television, or on radio. If they get a good press, they are praised.
get a bad press/get a good press phrase V inflects
...the bad press that career women consistently get in this country...
16 If you press chargesagainst someone, you make an official accusation against them which has to be decided in a court of law.
press charges phrase V inflects, oft PHR against n
I could have pressed charges against him...
17 When a newspaper or magazine goes to press, it starts being printed.
go to press phrase V inflects
We check prices at the time of going to press... press ahead
→
press on 1 press on , press ahead
1 phrasal verb If you press on or press ahead, you continue with a task or activity in a determined way, and do not allow any problems or difficulties to delay you.
Organizers of the strike are determined to press on... V P
Poland pressed on with economic reform. V P with n
2 phrasal verb If you press on, you continue with a journey, even though it is becoming more difficult or more dangerous.
(=keep going) I considered turning back, but it was getting late, so I pressed on. V P
gutter press
You can refer to newspapers and magazines which print mainly stories about sex and crime as the gutter press.
(BRIT) n-sing the N (disapproval)
The gutter press has held the royals up to ridicule.
in AM, use scandal sheets
press agency (press agencies plural )A country's press agency is an organization that gathers news from that country and supplies it to journalists from all over the world. n-count
press agent (press agents plural )A press agent is a person who is employed by a famous person to give information about that person to the press. n-count oft with poss
press box (press boxes plural )Thepress box at a sports ground is a room or area which is reserved for journalists to watch sporting events. n-count usu the N in sing
press conference (press conferences plural )A press conference is a meeting held by a famous or important person in which they answer journalists' questions. n-count
She gave her reaction to his release at a press conference...
press corps (press corps plural )Thepress corps is a group of journalists who are all working in a particular place, for different newspapers. n-count-coll usu the N
David McNeil is travelling with the White House press corps.
press gallery (press galleries plural )Thepress gallery is the area in a parliament, legislature, or council which is reserved for journalists who report on its activities. n-count usu the N in sing
press-gang (press-gangs plural & 3rd person present) (press-ganging present participle) (press-ganged past tense & past participle )
1 verb If you are press-ganged into doing something, you are made or persuaded to do it, even though you do not really want to.
(mainly BRIT) usu passive
(=force)
I was press-ganged into working in that business... be V-ed into -ing/n
She was a volunteer, she hadn't had to be press-ganged. be V-ed
2 verb If people are press-ganged, they are captured and forced to join the army or navy.
(mainly BRIT) usu passive
They left their villages to evade being press-ganged into the army... be V-ed into n
The government denies that the women were press-ganged. be V-ed
press-ganging n-sing the N of n
...the press-ganging of young people into the country's armed forces.
3 n-count In former times, a press-gang was a group of men who used to capture boys and men and force them to join the navy.
press officer (press officers plural )A press officer is a person who is employed by an organization to give information about that organization to the press. n-count
...the Press Officer of the Bavarian Government.
press release (press releases plural )A press release is a written statement about a matter of public interest which is given to the press by an organization concerned with the matter. n-count
press room (press rooms plural ), pressroom A press room is a room for journalists to use at a special event. n-count
press secretary (press secretaries plural )A government's or political leader's press secretary is someone who is employed by them to give information to the press. n-count oft supp N
...the Prime Minister's official press secretary.
press stud (press studs plural )A press stud is a small metal object used to fasten clothes and is made up of two parts which can be pressed together.
(BRIT) n-count
(=popper)
in AM, use snap fastener, snap
press-up (press-ups plural )Press-ups are exercises to strengthen your arms and chest muscles. They are done by lying with your face towards the floor and pushing with your hands to raise your body until your arms are straight.
(BRIT) n-count usu pl
He made me do 30 press-ups.
in AM, use push-ups
printing press (printing presses plural )A printing press is a machine used for printing, especially one that can print books, newspapers, or documents in large numbers. n-count
stop press
Stop press is sometimes printed next to an article in a newspaper to indicate that this is very recent news and was added after the rest of the newspaper had been printed.
(BRIT)
STOP PRESS<endash>Crisis in Chechnya.
