pressing
part of speech
verb (press, presses, pressed, pressing — "pressing" is the -ing form); adjective (pressing — urgent); noun (a pressing, as of a record)
meaning for a pupil
1) Pushing on something firmly, like pressing a button or pressing down on a cut. tree →
2) Making something flat or smooth by pushing on it, like pressing flowers or ironing clothes. tree →
3) As an adjective, pressing means urgent: something that needs to be done now. tree →
4) Asking someone strongly and again and again: pressing him for an answer. tree →
5) Pressing can also mean attacking hard in a fight, so that the other side is forced back. tree →
sense in the lessons
In first aid, pressing firmly on a bleeding cut with a clean cloth helps stop the bleeding. In everyday life, we press buttons, keys and switches; press the button at a crossing and wait for the green signal. In science and art, pressing flowers between heavy books dries them flat. In stories, "a pressing problem" is one that needs solving fast. Phrases: "pressing the button", "pressing matter", "pressing on" (continuing), "pressing flowers", "keep pressing".
examples
- She is pressing the button for the lift. tree →
- Keep pressing on the cut with a clean cloth. tree →
- We are pressing flowers inside a big book. tree →
- Stop pressing so hard with your pencil. tree →
- The most pressing job is to find the lost dog. tree →
- He kept pressing me to tell him the secret. tree →
- Dad is pressing his shirt with the iron. tree →
- The tired walkers kept pressing on up the hill. tree →
- I'm in such pressing need of money just now. tree →
note
Spelling: press keeps both s's: pressing, pressed. "Pressing" as an adjective (urgent) goes before a noun: a pressing problem. "Press" also means newspapers and journalists ("the press"). Do not confuse "pressing" with "pressure", the force pressing on an area.
In the corpora
- Checking the rating on a box, a poster or a streaming page before pressing play prevents many accidents.
- The tabla is a pair of Indian hand drums; pressing the skin while striking it changes the pitch.
- But, O dear, O dear, this is a hard world!» He leaves, pressing his handkerchief to his face.
- A smoke alarm senses tiny smoke particles; test it by pressing its button, never with a flame.
- Most bleeding stops if you press firmly on the wound with a clean cloth and keep pressing.
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «pressing» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.