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to press

to press

68 4.1
Lift a weight by pushing it up with your arms while standing or lying down
  • verb
  • /prɛs/
  • Specialized
translation icon : levantar
  • Lift, press, hold.
  • press the bar

Examples

  • I'm just like pressing and lifting, pressing and lifting.

  • And let's press right back into Down Dog.

  • Move the leg up and press, press, press.

  • So I'm just going to press and push up.

  • I bet I could bench-press you.

  • He's gonna press up into a handstand.

  • The behavior Skinner wanted from the rat is for it to press the lever.

    Academic text (2010)
  • Participants gave their discrimination responses by pressing one of two differently colored keys on the computer keyboard.

    Academic text (2012)
  • Elliott Yekton leaned forward and pressed the side of his head to the young man's sunken breast.

    Fiction book (1991)
  • To build strength, he decided to press a heavier weight during each workout.

Synonyms

to lift
vsto press
553 1.0

To raise something higher by hand or with a machine

focuses on a specific arm movement that moves weight upward in weight training
to lift up
vsto press
107 1.1

To raise someone or something to a higher place

is a specific arm movement that raises weight during exercise
to lift weights
vsto press
23 2.9

Raise heavy objects to make your muscles stronger

focuses on pushing heavy loads upward with the arms while standing or lying
to push up
vsto press
11 2.1

Move something to a higher place by pushing from below or behind

uses the arms to raise weight while standing or lying
to heave up
vsto press
  • Informal
3 4.5

To lift something heavy with a lot of effort

is a controlled arm movement that lifts weight in weight training
to heft up
vsto press
  • Informal
1 6.1

To lift something with effort to see how heavy it is

is a focused arm exercise moving weight to a higher place to build strength

Antonyms

1.0

To let something fall suddenly or by accident

802 1.0

Make something go down in position, amount, or strength

Idioms

by press release
  • Literature
3.6

Through an official announcement a company sends to the news media

Make someone feel or act in the way you want

Phrasal Verbs

26 3.9

To keep going with a task even when it is hard

18 2.5

To push something down with force to make it flat or close it

Push something down using your hand or weight

1 4.1

To get liquid from something by squeezing it

to press out
  • Specialized
1 5.3

To shape plastic by pushing soft material into a mold

Make a point strongly so other people understand or accept it

Push the Home button on a device to return to the main screen

To stop something burning by crushing it

Compounds

press conference
  • Literature
392 3.1

A meeting where a famous person answers questions from reporters

press release
  • Literature
94 2.5

An official message sent to the news media to give information

press corps
  • Literature
43 3.4

A group of reporters from different media who cover the same event or place

A machine that makes many copies of pages with text or pictures on paper

free press
  • Literature
22 3.0

News media that report independently and are not controlled by the government

15 3.2

The right of newspapers and journalists to report news without government control

press box
  • Literature
9 3.1

An area in a stadium or arena where reporters and broadcasters sit to report the game

6 3.7

A person who works to get news and attention for a company, group, or famous person

4 3.0

An exercise where a person lies on their back on a bench and pushes weight up from the chest

press clipping
  • Literature
3 3.2

A short article cut from a newspaper or magazine kept for reference

full-court press
  • Informal
2 5.1

A strong, aggressive effort to reach a goal quickly, often to win support

2 2.8

A small kitchen tool that squeezes garlic cloves into small pieces

press photographer
  • Literature
2 3.3

A person who takes pictures for newspapers or news websites

drill press
  • Specialized
2 5.8

A machine that makes accurate vertical holes in metal or wood

press agency
  • Literature
1 4.0

A group that collects news and sends it to newspapers, TV, and websites

A secret way of printing and sharing banned or critical writing

hydraulic press
  • Specialized
1 4.2

A machine that uses liquid pressure to push or shape materials

public press
  • Literature
1 3.2

Newspapers and magazines that gather and publish news for the public

press gallery
  • Literature
1 5.3

An area in a government hall where reporters sit to watch and report debates

vanity press
  • Jargon
1 8.2

A business that prints books for authors who pay, often with little editing

gutter press
  • Offensive
1 8.1

Newspapers or magazines that print scandal stories and invade people's privacy to sell more copies

punch press
  • Specialized
1 6.8

A machine that cuts and shapes metal sheets by pressing a shaped tool

Clothing made to resist wrinkles and keep its shape after washing

Fabric made to stay smooth after washing and not need ironing

press association
  • Literature
1 3.9

An organization that gathers and sends news to newspapers and other media

press lord
  • Literature
1 7.4

A person who owns or controls a large, powerful newspaper company

press run
  • Specialized
1 5.6

A period when a printing press makes one set of newspapers or magazines

1 3.2

A machine that uses hot steam to make clothes flat and remove wrinkles

bench press
  • Specialized
5.6

A small press fixed to a workbench for punching or shaping metal

cheese press
  • Specialized
4.6

A machine that squeezes milk curds to make cheese

cylinder press
  • Archaic
8.0

A printing machine where a cylinder rolls paper over a flat bed of letters to copy text

drop press
  • Specialized
8.8

A machine that shapes metal by dropping a heavy weight onto it

5.6

A cloth made to resist wrinkles and keep its shape after washing

baling press
  • Specialized
5.7

A machine that presses cardboard or plastic into compact bundles for easier handling and transport

Military officers check journalists' reports in war zones to keep information secret

filter press
  • Specialized
6.4

A machine that removes solids from liquids by pushing the liquid through cloth over frames

flatbed press
  • Specialized
7.5

A machine that prints by pressing paper onto a flat surface with a roller

fly press
  • Specialized
8.4

A machine that uses a heavy wheel and a screw to push and shape metal

mechanical press
  • Specialized
4.9

A machine that uses force to shape, cut, or squeeze materials

A weight exercise where you lift a bar with weights from shoulder height straight overhead to work the shoulders

incline bench press
  • Specialized
5.5

An exercise pressing a barbell or dumbbells up on a sloping bench to work the upper chest

A machine with a large heated plate that presses clothes flat

rotary press
  • Specialized
5.7

A machine that prints many pages quickly using a turning metal drum

offset press
  • Specialized
6.0

A machine that makes many copies by moving ink from a plate to rubber then to paper

overhead press
  • Specialized
4.3

A gym exercise that lifts a weight from the shoulder to above the head until the arms are straight

A machine that uses flat plates and frames to separate solids from liquids

plate filter press
  • Specialized
6.9

A machine made of many plates that removes solids from liquids

A machine with plates and frames that separates solids from liquids in factories

7.5

Announcing official decisions to the public by press release before any internal discussion

press cutting
  • Literature
3.2

A piece cut from a newspaper or magazine that you keep

press gang
  • Archaic
9.7

A group that forced people to join the navy or army

press of canvas
  • Archaic
9.9

The most sail a ship can carry safely without turning over or being damaged

press sheet
  • Specialized
6.9

A large sheet of paper printed with many pages before cutting or folding

3.7

A small fastener that snaps clothes closed

press of sail
  • Archaic
9.9

The most sail a ship can safely carry in the current weather

3.7

An exercise where you lie on your stomach and push your body up and down with your arms

Announcing scientific results to the public before other scientists check them

screw press
  • Specialized
6.4

A machine that uses a long turned metal rod to squeeze liquid from solid things

4.6

A machine that removes creases from trousers with warm flat pads

standing press
  • Specialized
8.0

A heavy machine that pushes down on paper or books to make them flat

stop press
  • Literature
7.1

An urgent news item added to a newspaper just before printing

yellow press
  • Literature
7.1

Newspapers that print shocking and often untrue stories to get more readers

How Heavy

to strain
87 4.2
to heave
35 3.9
to press
  • Specialized
68 4.1
to lift
553 1.0

Surface Forms

press infinitive
pressed past
pressed past participle
pressing present participle
presses third person singular

Etymology

Press (to lift a weight) comes from the old Latin word premere meaning 'to push'. It means to push a weight up with your arms, like pushing a heavy barbell above your head.