The word press has several meanings:

1. To push firmly against something. You press an elevator button, press your nose against a window to see outside, or press flowers flat between the pages of a heavy book. When you press down on piano keys, you make music. The act of pushing is called pressure.
2. To iron wrinkled clothes to make them smooth. Your parents might press a shirt before an important event, using heat and pressure to remove the wrinkles.
3. A machine that applies pressure, or the process of using one. A printing press squeezes inked letters onto paper to make books and newspapers. An olive press squeezes oil from olives.
4. Newspapers, magazines, and journalists collectively. When people talk about “the press,” they mean news reporters and the publications they work for. The freedom of the press is a crucial right in democracies, allowing journalists to report news without government censorship. At a presidential news conference, reporters from the press ask questions.
5. To urge or insist persistently. If you press someone for an answer, you keep asking until they respond. A lawyer might press a witness to tell the truth.