Squeezed Out – Meaning and Examples
Imagine being in a crowded space and someone pushes you until you are forced to leave, or a small business being driven out of the market by a much larger competitor. When a person, company, or thing is forced to leave a position, market, or area because of intense pressure, competition, or space restrictions, they are squeezed out. This phrasal verb highlights the pressure involved in being removed.
What Does “Squeezed Out” Mean?
The phrasal verb “squeezed out” means to be eliminated, forced to retire, or excluded from a tight space, industry, or competition due to pressure. It implies that the situation became too crowded or competitive to remain viable. The figurative sense is very common in business and politics, where a smaller entity is often **squeezed out** by a larger one.
When to Use It
You can use squeezed out when discussing business failure, competitive pressure, or forced removal.
- Business: Many local shops were squeezed out of the market by the new megastore.
- Employment: After the reorganization, the veteran employee felt he was being deliberately squeezed out of his job.
- Space/Access: The lack of affordable housing has squeezed out many young professionals from the city.
This phrase is informal and tends to carry a negative connotation, describing a difficult situation.
Example Sentences
- The new competitor lowered prices so much that the smaller firms were completely squeezed out.
- Because of budget cuts, certain non-essential programs have been squeezed out of the curriculum.
- He was tired of working late hours and high pressure, so he voluntarily squeezed out his role in the high-demand project.
- If you don’t fight for your space, you’ll be squeezed out by the more aggressive members of the team.
Mini Dialogue
Alex: “I haven’t seen that little bakery on Main Street recently.”
Jamie: “They closed last month. The huge rent increase squeezed them out of the neighborhood.”
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Do not use this phrase to describe deliberately removing a liquid. Use “squeeze out” (the literal phrasal verb) for that context.
❌ Don’t: “I squeezed out the toothpaste onto the brush.” (This is correct in the literal sense, but not the figurative sense of removal due to pressure.)
✅ Do: “The small publisher was squeezed out of the industry by the three dominant companies.” (This means forced removal due to competitive pressure.)
Practice Tip
Think of a difficult choice you made to drop an activity because you didn’t have enough time. Write one sentence saying that activity was squeezed out of your schedule.
Final Note
Using squeezed out vividly communicates the impact of intense pressure and competition. Practice using this phrase when discussing difficult market or career dynamics!
