the act of pressing, or the condition of being pressed; compression; a squeezing; a crushing; as, a pressure of the hand.-a contrasting force or impulse of any kind; as, the pressure of poverty; the pressure of taxes; the pressure of motives on the mind; the pressure of civilization.-affliction; distress; grievance.-urgency; as, the pressure of business.-impression; stamp; character impressed.-the action of a force against some obstacle or opposing force; a force in the nature of a thrust, distributed over a surface, often estimated with reference to the upon a unit's area.