press (up)on someone or something

press (up)on someone or something
press (up)on someone or something
to put pressure on someone or something. (

Upon

is formal and less commonly used than

on

.) •

The crowd pressed upon the child, squeezing out all his breath.

The load presses on your car's springs very heavily.


Dictionary of American idioms. 2013.

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Look at other dictionaries:

  • press someone or something into service — press (someone or something) into service : to use (someone or something) for a particular job or purpose when a special need occurs Retired doctors and nurses were pressed into service to help care for the wounded. The backup computer was… …   Useful english dictionary

  • eat someone or something alive — eat (someone or something) alive see ↑eat • • • Main Entry: ↑alive eat (someone or something) alive 1 of insects : to bite (someone or something) many times The mosquitoes were eating us alive. [=we were being bitten frequently by many… …   Useful english dictionary

  • tear someone or something to pieces/shreds — tear (someone or something) to pieces/shreds : to criticize (someone or something) in a very harsh or angry way They tore my idea to pieces. The actress was torn to shreds in the press. see also ↑tear 1 (above), 1 • • • Mai …   Useful english dictionary

  • press into service — press (someone or something) into service : to use (someone or something) for a particular job or purpose when a special need occurs Retired doctors and nurses were pressed into service to help care for the wounded. The backup computer was… …   Useful english dictionary

  • press-gang — press gang1 v [T] 1.) press gang sb into doing sth informal to force someone to do something ▪ I don t want to press gang you into doing something you re not happy with. 2.) to force men to work on a ship, by taking them from the streets done in… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • press — press1 [ pres ] noun *** ▸ 1 newspapers etc. ▸ 2 machine for printing ▸ 3 publishing business ▸ 4 piece of equipment ▸ 5 single push on something ▸ 6 making clothes smooth ▸ 7 many people pushing 1. ) the press newspapers and news magazines: the… …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • press */*/*/ — I UK [pres] / US noun Word forms press : singular press plural presses 1) the press newspapers and news magazines the national/local/American/sports press the popular/tabloid press in the press: She has been criticized in the press for not… …   English dictionary

  • press — 1 /pres/ noun 1 NEWS a) (U) also the press people who write reports for newspapers, radio, or television: the freedom of the press (also + plural verb BrE): In August the press are desperate for news. | press photographers b) (singular,… …   Longman dictionary of contemporary English

  • press — press1 W2S2 [pres] n ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 1¦(news)¦ 2 get/be given a bad press 3 get/have a good press 4¦(printing)¦ 5¦(machine)¦ 6¦(push)¦ 7 go to press 8¦(crowd)¦ ▬▬▬▬▬▬▬ 1.) ¦(NEWS)¦ …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • press — [[t]pre̱s[/t]] ♦ presses, pressing, pressed 1) VERB If you press something somewhere, you push it firmly against something else. [V n against n] He pressed his back against the door... [V n prep] They pressed the silver knife into the cake. 2) …   English dictionary

  • press — ▪ I. press press 1 [pres] verb 1. [intransitive, transitive] to try hard to persuade someone to do something: • Investor Harold Simmons is pressing to have the company s annual meeting delayed. press somebody to do something • Finance Ministry… …   Financial and business terms

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