Skip to main content
to press

to press

139 5.9
Weigh heavily on someone, causing worry or distress
  • verb
  • /prɛs/
translation icon : pesar (sobre)
  • For intelligent Muslims around the world, there is a pressing sense of having been let down by history.
  • a pressing issue
  • a pressing need
  • a pressing problem

For age has pressed its great weight on him at every point.

Examples

  • I have always been so pressed and worried about the future.

  • As a result, governments have been hard pressed even to maintain existing programs.

    Academic text (1990)
  • "I feel these issues are very pressing and they warrant our immediate attention.

    Academic text (2012)
  • Indeed, over the past few years, it has become a pressing question that deserves serious consideration.

    Academic text (1992)
  • Chronic disorders are one of today's most pressing public health issues in both the American and global arenas.

    Academic text (2011)
  • The international community desperately needs to develop better mechanisms to respond to these pressing human-security crises.

    Academic text (2008)
  • The responsibilities of work and family press on her, making her feel overwhelmed every day.

  • I often feel the financial challenges press on me when I think about my bills.

  • He couldn't shake off the anxiety that seemed to press down on his mind constantly.

Synonyms

to weigh
vsto press
89 5.8

To make someone feel worried or burdened

applies to worries caused by feelings problems or responsibilities
to overwhelm
vsto press
88 3.9

Give someone too much work or problems so they cannot cope

means being oppressive but not necessarily making someone unable to cope
to burden
vsto press
77 3.7

To give someone a heavy load or a difficult task

describes an oppressive feeling rather than the act of assigning trouble
to weigh on
vsto press
23 5.2

To cause worry or sadness that stays in someone's mind

focuses on worries coming from feelings problems or duties
to weigh down
vsto press
9 4.9

Make someone feel sad or worried

is similar but highlights emotional heaviness rather than specific causes
to bear down
vsto press
2 7.0

Press hard on something or make it feel heavy

focuses on internal oppressive worry rather than outward physical force
to whelm
vsto press
9.9

To feel a very strong emotion that takes control of you

describes pressure causing worry rather than violent overpowering or engulfing

Antonyms

166 2.3

Make pain, stress, or worry less

26 2.5

To make a load or worry feel less heavy

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 Burdensome

to overwhelm
88 3.9
to press
139 5.9
to weigh on
23 5.2
to trouble
174 1.8
to bother
1.0

Surface Forms

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

Etymology

Press (to weigh on) comes from the old Latin premere 'to push', so when something presses on you it feels heavy or tight on your mind, as if it is pushing you down.