Squeeze in Different Languages
Discover 'Squeeze' in 134 Languages: Dive into Translations, Hear Pronunciations, and Uncover Cultural Insights.
Updated on March 6, 2024
The word 'squeeze' holds a special place in our vocabulary, as it encapsulates the idea of applying pressure to something or someone to make it smaller or fit into a limited space. Its significance goes beyond the literal meaning, as it can also be used metaphorically to describe situations of financial or time constraints. Moreover, 'squeeze' has cultural importance, as it is used in idioms and phrases, such as 'squeeze every drop of pleasure' or 'squeeze someone's hand' to express affection.
Given its significance and cultural importance, it's no wonder that someone might want to know its translation in different languages. For instance, in Spanish, 'squeeze' can be translated as 'apretar,' while in French, it is 'serrer.' In German, 'squeeze' can be translated as 'quetschen,' and in Japanese, it is '擠る' (ashimeru).
Did you know that the word 'squeeze' has historical contexts too? During the Prohibition era in the United States, 'squeeze play' was a term used to describe the illegal sale of alcohol. In the world of finance, 'squeeze' is used to describe a situation where a company or individual is forced to buy or sell a security at a loss due to market pressure.
Join us as we explore the translations of 'squeeze' in different languages and cultures, and discover the fascinating history and significance behind this simple yet powerful word.
Squeeze
Squeeze in Sub-Saharan African Languages
| Afrikaans | druk | ||
| The noun "druk" also refers to a small sip of a beverage or alcohol and the verb form "drukkies" means taking tiny sips. | |||
| Amharic | መጭመቅ | ||
| The word "መጭመቅ" can also mean "to choke". | |||
| Hausa | matsi | ||
| In Hausa, "matsi" is also an interjection used as an expression of disgust or surprise. | |||
| Igbo | afanyekwa | ||
| The Igbo verb 'afanyekwa' also means 'to crush, break, or damage'. | |||
| Malagasy | famihinana | ||
| The word "famihinana" in Malagasy can also refer to a tool used for squeezing or pressing. | |||
| Nyanja (Chichewa) | finyani | ||
| In Nyanja, the verb 'finyani' can also mean 'to press' or 'to crush'. | |||
| Shona | svina | ||
| The term 'Svina' (squeeze) is also frequently applied when one is struggling to do something beyond one's capabilities. | |||
| Somali | tuujin | ||
| Tuujin also carries the alternate meanings of "to jam in," "to be wedged," or "to be crammed." | |||
| Sesotho | pepeta | ||
| In Sesotho, "pepeta" can also mean "to make an effort" or "to push hard". | |||
| Swahili | itapunguza | ||
| It also refers to a small amount, portion or fragment taken out from a larger whole. | |||
| Xhosa | khama | ||
| Khama also refers to a type of indigenous fabric | |||
| Yoruba | fun pọ | ||
| 'Fun pọ' also means 'to mix' | |||
| Zulu | khama | ||
| The word "khama" also means "to hug" in Zulu, but it can also be used to describe the act of squeezing something or someone. | |||
| Bambara | ka madigi | ||
| Ewe | mía | ||
| Kinyarwanda | gukanda | ||
| Lingala | kopusa | ||
| Luganda | okukamula | ||
| Sepedi | pitlela | ||
| Twi (Akan) | mia | ||
Squeeze in North African & Middle Eastern Languages
| Arabic | يعصر | ||
| يعصر can also mean to "harvest" or "extract" (as in "to extract juice from a fruit") | |||
| Hebrew | למחוץ | ||
| "מחוץ" (squeeze) is derived from the root "מחץ" (crush), with the letter "צ" (tsade) replaced by "ז" (zayin). It can also mean "to defeat" or "to humiliate". | |||
| Pashto | نڅا کول | ||
| The Pashto word "نڅا کول" is derived from the Persian word "فشردن" meaning "to press" and also shares a common root with the word "نڅا" meaning "a dance" in Pashto. | |||
| Arabic | يعصر | ||
| يعصر can also mean to "harvest" or "extract" (as in "to extract juice from a fruit") | |||
Squeeze in Western European Languages
| Albanian | shtrydh | ||
| The word "shtrydh" in Albanian can also refer to a traditional dance. | |||
| Basque | estutu | ||
| The Basque word "estutu" also means "to be tired" or "to be exhausted". | |||
| Catalan | esprémer | ||
| The Catalan verb "esprémer" means "to squeeze" but it also means "to express" or "to squeeze out" liquids, juices or other substances. | |||
| Croatian | iscijediti | ||
| The Croatian word "iscijediti" can also mean "to wring out" or "to extract". | |||
| Danish | presse | ||
| The Danish word 'presse' is derived from the Old French word 'presser', which means 'to squeeze' or 'to crush'. | |||
| Dutch | knijpen | ||
| The verb "knijpen" also has the meaning "to pinch", but it was originally a reduplication of "nijpen" ("to grip"). | |||
| English | squeeze | ||
| The word "squeeze" can also refer to a hug or affectionate embrace. | |||
| French | écraser | ||
| The verb 'écraser' can also refer to crushing something, or figuratively, to defeat or humiliate someone. | |||
| Frisian | knipe | ||
| The Frisian word "knipe" also means "pinch", "squeeze", or "pinch with pincers or tongs". | |||
| Galician | apertar | ||
| The Galician verb "apertar" comes from the Latin word "appretare", which meant "to press". | |||
| German | drücken | ||
| "Drücken" also means "to push" in German. | |||
| Icelandic | kreista | ||
| The word "kreista" is related to the German word "quetschen" and the English word "crush" | |||
| Irish | fáisceadh | ||
| Irish "fáisceadh" translates to "bandage" but literally means "twist" or "wring" | |||
| Italian | spremere | ||
| The word "spremere" also refers to the act of expressing or milking, such as "spremere un limone" (squeezing a lemon) or "spremere una mucca" (milking a cow). | |||
| Luxembourgish | dréckt | ||
| "Dréckt" is not only a word for "dirt" in Luxembourgish, but can also mean "squeeze", and derives from the Proto-Germanic word "dragkjanaz." | |||
| Maltese | għafas | ||
| The word "għafas" is related to the Arabic word "عصر", which also means "to squeeze". | |||
| Norwegian | klemme | ||
| "Klemme" also refers to a sticky or difficult situation. | |||
| Portuguese (Portugal, Brazil) | aperto | ||
| "Aperto" can also mean crowded, narrow, difficult, close, in need. | |||
| Scots Gaelic | fàisg | ||
| The word "fàisg" is etymologically related to the English word "squeeze" as well as the Middle Irish "foigid" meaning "squeeze, crush" but also "squeeze in, cram in". | |||
| Spanish | exprimir | ||
| The Spanish verb 'exprimir' also means to 'express' or 'utter', deriving from Latin 'exprimere', meaning 'to press out' or 'make manifest'. | |||
| Swedish | pressa | ||
| "Pressa" is also an informal word for a person in a hurry. | |||
| Welsh | gwasgfa | ||
| The word "gwasgfa" in Welsh can also mean "press" or "printing press". | |||
Squeeze in Eastern European Languages
| Belarusian | выціскаць | ||
| In addition to its primary meaning, "squeeze", "выціскаць" can also mean "to extort", "to milk", or "to press". | |||
| Bosnian | iscijediti | ||
| The word 'iscijediti' is derived from the Proto-Slavic term *iskjiditi, meaning 'to wring' or 'to extract juice.' | |||
| Bulgarian | изстисквам | ||
| The Bulgarian word "изстисквам" also means "to extort" or "to squeeze out (information)". | |||
| Czech | sevření | ||
| The verb "sevřít" ("to squeeze") is related to "svírat" ("to hold") and "sejmout" ("to remove"). | |||
| Estonian | pigistama | ||
| The word "pigistama" comes from the Proto-Finnic word *pihistä- and can also mean "to whistle" or "to chirp". | |||
| Finnish | puristaa | ||
| Cognate with Karelian puris (to press), Estonian purima (to squeeze), Veps purita (to squeeze), and Komi-Permyak and Udmurt pury (to rub). The word may also derive from the Proto-Indo-European (PIE) root *bʰer- (to bore). | |||
| Hungarian | présel | ||
| The word "présel" can also mean "to fold" or "to crease" in Hungarian. | |||
| Latvian | saspiest | ||
| The word "saspiest" also has a slang meaning of "strong" or "hard" in Latvian slang. | |||
| Lithuanian | išspausti | ||
| The Lithuanian verb "išspausti" can also mean "to print", likely related to the squeezing of printing blocks. | |||
| Macedonian | стискаш | ||
| The word "стискаш" can also be used to describe the feeling of being emotionally distressed. | |||
| Polish | ściskać | ||
| "Ściskać" may also mean "to be tight". | |||
| Romanian | stoarce | ||
| The word 'stoarce' derives from the Latin verb 'estorquere', meaning 'to twist out or wring'. | |||
| Russian | сжимать | ||
| The word "сжимать" can also mean "to condense" or "to compress". | |||
| Serbian | стиснути | ||
| Serbian "стиснути" also means "to clench", like you would clench a fist or grit your teeth. | |||
| Slovak | stlačiť | ||
| "Stlačiť" also means "to depress" in Slovak. | |||
| Slovenian | stisnite | ||
| The word 'stisniti' also means 'to oppress' or 'to suppress' in Slovenian. | |||
| Ukrainian | стиснути | ||
| The verb "стиснути" can also mean "to tighten," "to grip," or "to hold firmly." | |||
Squeeze in South Asian Languages
| Bengali | চাপ | ||
| চাপ also means pressure in Bengali. | |||
| Gujarati | સ્વીઝ | ||
| The word "સ્વીઝ" (squeeze) in Gujarati is cognate with the English word "squeeze" and also has the alternate meaning of "to twist" or "to wring out". | |||
| Hindi | निचोड़ | ||
| The word "निचोड़" can also refer to the essential or important part of something, or the result of something. | |||
| Kannada | ಹಿಸುಕು | ||
| The word "ಹಿಸುಕು" can also mean "to press down" or "to crush" something. | |||
| Malayalam | ഞെക്കുക | ||
| "ഞെക്കുക" originates from the Dravidian root "*ñekey-", meaning "to press" or "to squeeze". | |||
| Marathi | पिळून काढा | ||
| The word "पिळून काढा" in Marathi can also mean to "extract" or "distill" a substance from something else. | |||
| Nepali | निचोल्नु | ||
| The word 'निचोल्नु' ('squeeze') in Nepali also means 'to extract', 'to express', 'to milk', 'to wring', and 'to press'. | |||
| Punjabi | ਨਿਚੋੜੋ | ||
| In Punjabi, the word "ਨਿਚੋੜੋ" can also refer to the process of extracting juice from fruit or vegetables. | |||
| Sinhala (Sinhalese) | මිරිකන්න | ||
| Tamil | கசக்கி | ||
| The Tamil word "கசக்கி" can also be spelled "கொசுகி" and it means "to break" in the context of squeezing something into pieces. | |||
| Telugu | పిండి వేయు | ||
| పిండి వేయు is cognate with the Sanskrit word पिंड/पिण्ड/piṇḍa and Tamil word பிண்டம்/piṇḍam, meaning a "lump". It can also mean "to knead" or "to form into a lump". | |||
| Urdu | نچوڑنا | ||
| In addition to its primary meaning of "squeeze," "نچوڑنا" can also mean "to extract," "to condense," or "to wring out." | |||
Squeeze in East Asian Languages
| Chinese (Simplified) | 挤 | ||
| 挤 originally referred to soldiers standing elbow to elbow, and later its meaning expanded. | |||
| Chinese (Traditional) | 擠 | ||
| 擠 can also refer to the act of stuffing oneself into a crowded space. | |||
| Japanese | スクイーズ | ||
| The word "squeeze" in Japanese can also mean "to pinch" or "to press down on something. | |||
| Korean | 압착 | ||
| "압착" is used to describe various actions including squeezing out, pressing down, and crushing. | |||
| Mongolian | шахах | ||
| The word "шахах" can also mean "to push" or "to press" in Mongolian. | |||
| Myanmar (Burmese) | ညှစ် | ||
| The word "ညှစ်" can also mean "to pinch" or "to press down on something." | |||
Squeeze in South East Asian Languages
| Indonesian | meremas | ||
| Meremas in Indonesian can also mean "to massage" or "to knead". | |||
| Javanese | remet | ||
| "Remet" can also mean "to crush" or "to press down". This is the same with the Indonesian word "remas" | |||
| Khmer | ច្របាច់ | ||
| The word "ច្របាច់" (squeeze) is also used in the context of extracting something, like squeezing juice from a fruit. | |||
| Lao | ບີບ | ||
| ບີບ may also mean 'compress', 'squeeze in' or 'pinch'. | |||
| Malay | memerah | ||
| The Javanese word for "squeeze" is also a type of traditional Indonesian dish. | |||
| Thai | บีบ | ||
| Though it now means "to squeeze," บีบ was originally the sound of "squashing something" and also means to "crush" something into another form, like folding a piece of paper. | |||
| Vietnamese | vắt kiệt | ||
| The word "vắt kiệt" literally means to squeeze dry or to drain completely. | |||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pisilin | ||
Squeeze in Central Asian Languages
| Azerbaijani | sıxmaq | ||
| The word "sıxmaq" in Azerbaijani also means "to compress" or "to make something smaller or more compact." | |||
| Kazakh | сығу | ||
| The word "сығу" can also mean "to fit" or "to squeeze into a tight space". | |||
| Kyrgyz | кысуу | ||
| The word "кысуу" in Kyrgyz can also mean "to hug" or "to embrace". | |||
| Tajik | фишурдан | ||
| The word «фишурдан» is also used in the meaning of «press» or «knead». | |||
| Turkmen | gysmak | ||
| Uzbek | siqish | ||
| The word "siqish" comes from the Turkic root "sık-" meaning "to press, to squeeze" and also means "to be cramped, to be crowded" in Uzbek. | |||
| Uyghur | قىسىش | ||
Squeeze in Pacific Languages
| Hawaiian | kaomi | ||
| The Hawaiian word 'kaomi' can also mean 'to kiss' or 'to embrace' someone. | |||
| Maori | kotēhia | ||
| The word "kotēhia" also means "to massage" or "to knead" in Maori. | |||
| Samoan | oomi | ||
| In Samoan mythology, "oomi" also refers to the squeezing of the heart as a sign of remorse or sorrow. | |||
| Tagalog (Filipino) | pisilin | ||
| The Tagalog word "pisilin" is also used to describe the act of wringing out a liquid or the act of extorting money from someone. | |||
Squeeze in American Indigenous Languages
| Aymara | ch'irwsuña | ||
| Guarani | hykue'o | ||
Squeeze in International Languages
| Esperanto | elpremi | ||
| "Elpremi" is related to the English word "prime" and also means "to pump" or "to press". | |||
| Latin | premere | ||
| The Latin "premere" can also mean "press" or "oppress". | |||
Squeeze in Others Languages
| Greek | σφίξιμο | ||
| "Σφίξιμο" can also refer to "tight situation" or "anxiety" in Greek. | |||
| Hmong | nyem | ||
| Hmong "nyem" originates from a Proto-Hmong-Mien root meaning "to pinch" or "to pull". | |||
| Kurdish | pêlêkirin | ||
| The word “pêlêkirin” has Iranian roots and is related to the words “pêl” (skin) and “kirin” (to do), implying the act of pressing or squeezing against the skin. | |||
| Turkish | suyunu sıkmak | ||
| "Suyunu sıkmak" literally means "to squeeze out the water," and it can also figuratively mean "to milk for all it's worth," "to take advantage of," or "to exploit." | |||
| Xhosa | khama | ||
| Khama also refers to a type of indigenous fabric | |||
| Yiddish | קוועטשן | ||
| The Yiddish word "קוועטשן" (squeeze) also means "to worry" or "to be anxious". | |||
| Zulu | khama | ||
| The word "khama" also means "to hug" in Zulu, but it can also be used to describe the act of squeezing something or someone. | |||
| Assamese | চেপি দিয়া | ||
| Aymara | ch'irwsuña | ||
| Bhojpuri | निचोड़ल | ||
| Dhivehi | ފިއްތުން | ||
| Dogri | नचोड़ना | ||
| Filipino (Tagalog) | pisilin | ||
| Guarani | hykue'o | ||
| Ilocano | pekkelen | ||
| Krio | kwis | ||
| Kurdish (Sorani) | گوشین | ||
| Maithili | निचोड़ कए निकाल देनाइ | ||
| Meiteilon (Manipuri) | ꯆꯞꯁꯤꯟꯕ | ||
| Mizo | hmetsawr | ||
| Oromo | cuunfuu | ||
| Odia (Oriya) | ଚିପୁଡ଼ିବା | ||
| Quechua | qapiy | ||
| Sanskrit | चाप | ||
| Tatar | кысу | ||
| Tigrinya | ምጽሟቕ | ||
| Tsonga | kama | ||