pressure point
Americannoun
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a point on the skin that is extremely sensitive to pressure because of the presence of pressure-sensing organs.
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a point on the body where relatively slight pressure serves to press an artery lying close to the surface against underlying bony tissue, so as to arrest the flow of blood into a part.
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a sensitive, crucial area or issue against which concerted persuasion or pressure tactics can be wielded to produce a desired result.
Lobbyists attempt to find the pressure points of government.
noun
Etymology
Origin of pressure point
First recorded in 1875–80
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Analysts say Iran has long treated the strait as a strategic pressure point, though a full prolonged blockade is considered unlikely as Tehran relies on the same route for crude exports and wider trade.
All in all, there are plenty of potential pressure points on the S&P 500.
From Barron's
The persistent underperformance, marked by seven consecutive sessions closing below the 200 day simple moving average, reinforces the concern that financials remain a key pressure point for the broader tape.
From Barron's
We keep pouring resources into making the elderly comfortable and happy when the economy’s pressure points lie elsewhere.
It reveals itself in patterns, in pressure points, in the way a body moves through the world.
From Salon
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.