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Squeeze vs Clench - What's the difference?

squeeze | clench |

As verbs the difference between squeeze and clench

is that squeeze is to apply pressure to from two or more sides at once while clench is to squeeze; to grip or hold tightly.

As nouns the difference between squeeze and clench

is that squeeze is a difficult position while clench is tight grip.

squeeze

English

Verb

(squeez)
  • To apply pressure to from two or more sides at once
  • I squeezed the ball between my hands.
    Please don't squeeze the toothpaste tube in the middle.
  • * 1922 , (Virginia Woolf), (w, Jacob's Room) Chapter 1
  • "Over there—by the rock," Steele muttered, with his brush between his teeth, squeezing out raw sienna, and keeping his eyes fixed on Betty Flanders's back.
  • (ambitransitive) To fit into a tight place
  • I managed to squeeze the car into that parking space.
    Can you squeeze through that gap?
  • * {{quote-news
  • , year=2010 , date=December 29 , author=Sam Sheringham , title=Liverpool 0 - 1 Wolverhampton , work=BBC citation , page= , passage=It was an omen of things to come as in the 56th minute the visitors took the lead after a mix-up between Skrtel and Sotirios Kyrgiakos allowed Ebanks-Blake's through-ball to squeeze between them.}}
  • * 1908 ,
  • Could he not squeeze under the seat of a carriage? He had seen this method adopted by schoolboys, when the journey- money provided by thoughtful parents had been diverted to other and better ends.
  • To remove something with difficulty, or apparent difficulty
  • He squeezed some money out of his wallet.
  • To put in a difficult position by presenting two or more choices
  • I'm being squeezed between my job and my volunteer work.
  • * 2013 May 23, , " British Leader’s Liberal Turn Sets Off a Rebellion in His Party," New York Times (retrieved 29 May 2013):
  • At a time when Mr. Cameron is being squeezed from both sides — from the right by members of his own party and by the anti-immigrant, anti-Europe U.K. Independence Party, and from the left by his Liberal Democrat coalition partners — the move seemed uncharacteristically clunky.
  • (figurative) To oppress with hardships, burdens, or taxes; to harass.
  • * L'Estrange
  • In a civil war, people must expect to be crushed and squeezed toward the burden.
  • (baseball) To attempt to score a runner from third by bunting
  • Jones squeezed in Smith with a perfect bunt.

    Derived terms

    (terms derived from the verb "squeeze") * squeezable * squeezebox * squeeze in * squeeze out * squeezer * squeezy * unsqueeze

    Noun

    (en noun)
  • A difficult position
  • I'm in a tight squeeze right now when it comes to my free time.
  • A traversal of a narrow passage
  • It was a tight squeeze , but I got through to the next section of the cave.
  • A hug or other affectionate grasp
  • a gentle squeeze on the arm
  • (slang) A romantic partner
  • I want to be your main squeeze
  • (baseball) The act of bunting in an attempt to score a runner from third
  • The game ended in exciting fashion with a failed squeeze .
  • (epigraphy) An impression of an inscription formed by pressing wet paper onto the surface and peeling off when dry.
  • The light not being good enough for photography, I took a squeeze of the stone.
  • (card games) A play that forces an opponent to discard a card that gives up one or more tricks.
  • (archaic) A bribe or fee paid to a middleman, especially in China.
  • See also

    * squash * squeegee * squish * margin squeeze

    clench

    English

    Noun

    (es)
  • Tight grip.
  • (engineering) A seal that is applied to formed thin-wall bushings.
  • A local chapter of the (Church of the SubGenius) parody religion.
  • * 1989 , Ted Schultz, The Fringes of Reason (page 210)
  • And perhaps most innovative of all, Drummond and Stang pushed for a policy of clench autonomy
  • * 2003 , Peter Knight, Conspiracy Theories in American History: An Encyclopedia (page 170)
  • Every SubGenius clench is required to have a member who does not believe
  • * 2012 , George D. Chryssides, Historical Dictionary of New Religious Movements (page 95)
  • Originality is encouraged, and some clenches have devised their own distinctive organizational names

    Verb

    (es)
  • To squeeze; to grip or hold tightly.
  • He clenched his fist in anger.
  • To move two parts of something against each other
  • Bruxism is clenching the jaws.

    Synonyms

    * clasp * clutch

    Antonyms

    * unclench