pressing

adjective

press·​ing ˈpre-siŋ How to pronounce pressing (audio)
1
: urgently important : critical
a pressing issue
2
pressingly adverb

Examples of pressing in a Sentence

a pressing need for reform she had pressing business on the other side of town
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Lambda Legal’s help desk has already received more requests for assistance with health care, employment and housing discrimination in the first half of 2025 than in all of 2024, with the most pressing need coming from trans and nonbinary callers. Tyrone Beason follow, Los Angeles Times, 9 July 2025 With the July 31 trade deadline just a few weeks away and the Yankees not playing their best baseball lately, the team’s most pressing needs are obvious. Gary Phillips, New York Daily News, 8 July 2025 But the 33-acre graveyard — listed on the National Register of Historic Places — has been thrown a $150,000 state grant lifeline to tackle some of the most pressing maintenance. Kenneth R. Gosselin, Hartford Courant, 6 July 2025 The problem is that some of Europe’s most pressing issues – Ukraine, trade tariffs and security – mean talking to the US and Trump. Sebastian Shukla, CNN Money, 5 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for pressing

Word History

First Known Use

1591, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of pressing was in 1591

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Pressing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/pressing. Accessed 18 Jul. 2025.

Kids Definition

pressing

adjective
press·​ing ˈpres-iŋ How to pronounce pressing (audio)
: needing one's immediate attention
a pressing issue
pressingly adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on pressing

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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