press /ˈprɛs/
 按,壓,撳,擁擠,印刷機,壓力,雜誌報紙,緊握,新聞報道,強迫征募(vt.)壓


 press
 按下;按


 press
 壓 出版社


 Press n. Zool. An East Indian insectivore (Tupaia ferruginea). It is arboreal in its habits, and has a bushy tail. The fur is soft, and varies from rusty red to maroon and to brownish black.


 Press, v. t.  To force into service, particularly into naval service; to impress.
    To peaceful peasant to the wars is pressed.   --Dryden.


 Press, n.  A commission to force men into public service, particularly into the navy.
    I have misused the king's press.   --Shak.
 Press gang, or Pressgang, a detachment of seamen under the command of an officer empowered to force men into the naval service. See Impress gang, under Impress.
 Press money, money paid to a man enlisted into public service. See Prest money, under Prest, a.


 Press, v. t. [imp. & p. p. Pressed p. pr. & vb. n. Pressing.]
 1. To urge, or act upon, with force, as weight; to act upon by pushing or thrusting, in distinction from pulling; to crowd or compel by a gradual and continued exertion; to bear upon; to squeeze; to compress; as, we press the ground with the feet when we walk; we press the couch on which we repose; we press substances with the hands, fingers, or arms; we are pressed in a crowd.
    Good measure, pressed down, and shaken together.   --Luke vi. 38.
 2. To squeeze, in order to extract the juice or contents of; to squeeze out, or express, from something.
 From sweet kernels pressed,
 She tempers dulcet creams.   --Milton.
    And I took the grapes, and pressed them into Pharaoh's cup, and I gave the cup into Pharaoh's hand.   --Gen. xl. 11.
 3. To squeeze in or with suitable instruments or apparatus, in order to compact, make dense, or smooth; as, to press cotton bales, paper, etc.; to smooth by ironing; as, to press clothes.
 4. To embrace closely; to hug.
 Leucothoe shook at these alarms,
 And pressed Palemon closer in her arms.   --Pope.
 5. To oppress; to bear hard upon.
    Press not a falling man too far.   --Shak.
 6. To straiten; to distress; as, to be pressed with want or hunger.
 7. To exercise very powerful or irresistible influence upon or over; to constrain; to force; to compel.
    Paul was pressed in the spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus was Christ.   --Acts xviii. 5.
 8. To try to force (something upon some one); to urge or inculcate with earnestness or importunity; to enforce; as, to press divine truth on an audience.
    He pressed a letter upon me within this hour.   --Dryden.
    Be sure to press upon him every motive.   --Addison.
 9. To drive with violence; to hurry; to urge on; to ply hard; as, to press a horse in a race.
    The posts . . . went cut, being hastened and pressed on, by the king's commandment.   --Esther viii. 14.
 Note: ☞ Press differs from drive and strike in usually denoting a slow or continued application of force; whereas drive and strike denote a sudden impulse of force.
 Pressed brick. See under Brick.


 Press, v. i.
 1. To exert pressure; to bear heavily; to push, crowd, or urge with steady force.
 2. To move on with urging and crowding; to make one's way with violence or effort; to bear onward forcibly; to crowd; to throng; to encroach.
    They pressed upon him for to touch him.   --Mark iii. 10.
 3. To urge with vehemence or importunity; to exert a strong or compelling influence; as, an argument presses upon the judgment.


 Press, n.
 1. An apparatus or machine by which any substance or body is pressed, squeezed, stamped, or shaped, or by which an impression of a body is taken; sometimes, the place or building containing a press or presses.
 Note: ☞ Presses are differently constructed for various purposes in the arts, their specific uses being commonly designated; as, a cotton press, a wine press, a cider press, a copying press, etc. See Drill press.
 2. Specifically, a printing press.
 3. The art or business of printing and publishing; hence, printed publications, taken collectively, more especially newspapers or the persons employed in writing for them; as, a free press is a blessing, a licentious press is a curse.
 4. An upright case or closet for the safe keeping of articles; as, a clothes press.
 5. The act of pressing or thronging forward.
    In their throng and press to that last hold.   --Shak.
 6. Urgent demands of business or affairs; urgency; as, a press of engagements.
 7. A multitude of individuals crowded together; ░ crowd of single things; a throng.
    They could not come nigh unto him for the press.   --Mark ii. 4.
 Cylinder press, a printing press in which the impression is produced by a revolving cylinder under which the form passes; also, one in which the form of type or plates is curved around a cylinder, instead of resting on a flat bed.
 Hydrostatic press. See under Hydrostatic.
 Liberty of the press, the free right of publishing books, pamphlets, or papers, without previous restraint or censorship, subject only to punishment for libelous, seditious, or morally pernicious matters.
 Press bed, a bed that may be folded, and inclosed, in a press or closet. --Boswell.
 Press of sail, Naut., as much sail as the state of the wind will permit.

 ◄ ►


 press
      n 1: newspaper writers and photographers [syn: fourth estate]
      2: the state of urgently demanding notice or attention; "the
         press of business matters" [syn: imperativeness, insistence,
          insistency, pressure]
      3: the gathering and publishing of news in the form of
         newspapers or magazines [syn: public press]
      4: a machine used for printing [syn: printing press]
      5: a dense crowd of people [syn: crush, jam]
      6: a tall piece of furniture that provides storage space for
         clothes; has a door and rails or hooks for hanging clothes
         [syn: wardrobe, closet]
      7: clamp to prevent wooden rackets from warping when not in use
      8: any machine that exerts pressure to form or shape or cut
         materials or extract liquids or compress solids [syn: {mechanical
         press]
      9: a weightlift in which the barbell is lifted to shoulder
         height and then smoothly lifted overhead [syn: {military
         press]
      10: the act of pressing; the exertion of pressure; "he gave the
          button a press"; "he used pressure to stop the bleeding";
          "at the pressing of a button" [syn: pressure, pressing]
      v 1: exert pressure or force to or upon; "He pressed down on the
           boards"; "press your thumb on this spot"
      2: force or impel in an indicated direction; "I urged him to
         finish his studies" [syn: urge, urge on, exhort]
      3: to be oppressive or burdensome; "weigh heavily on the mind",
         "Something pressed on his mind" [syn: weigh]
      4: place between two surfaces and apply weight or pressure;
         "pressed flowers"
      5: squeeze or press together; "she compressed her lips"; "the
         spasm contracted the muscle" [syn: compress, constrict,
          squeeze, compact, contract]
      6: crowd closely; "The crowds pressed along the street"
      7: create by pressing; "Press little holes into the soft clay"
      8: be urgent; "This is a pressing problem"
      9: exert oneself continuously, vigorously, or obtrusively to
         gain an end or engage in a crusade for a certain cause or
         person; be an advocate for; "The liberal party pushed for
         reforms"; "She is crusading for women's rights"; "The Dean
         is pushing for his favorite candidate" [syn: crusade, fight,
          campaign, push, agitate]
      10: press from a plastic; "press a record" [syn: press out]
      11: make strenuous pushing movements during birth to expel the
          baby; "`Now push hard,' said the doctor to the woman"
          [syn: push]
      12: lift weights; "This guy can press 300 pounds" [syn: weight-lift,
           weightlift]
      13: ask for or request earnestly; "The prophet bid all people to
          become good persons" [syn: bid, beseech, entreat, adjure,
           conjure]