絞しぼる

godan verb (-ru), transitive verb

wring out; squeeze

Only when written 絞る

Physical squeezing by twisting or pressing, especially wringing water out of a towel, rag, or cloth. 絞る is the usual kanji for this sense.

• タオルを固かたく絞しぼってから干ほした。

  I wrung the towel out tightly before hanging it up.

godan verb (-ru), transitive verb

press; extract; milk

Only when written 搾る

Used when pressing fruit or another source to get liquid out, or milking an animal. 搾る is especially associated with extraction.

• レモンを搾しぼって紅こう茶ちゃに入いれた。

  I squeezed a lemon and put the juice in my tea.

• 朝あさ早はやく牛うしの乳ちちを搾しぼる。

  They milk the cows early in the morning.

godan verb (-ru), transitive verb

rack one's brains; strain one's voice

Only when written 絞る

Figurative use for forcing out effort from the mind or voice, as in 知恵を絞る. The voice sense is more limited and often overlaps with expressions like 声を振り絞る.

• みんなで知ち恵えを絞しぼって解かい決けつ策さくを考かんがえた。

  We all racked our brains and thought of a solution.

godan verb (-ru), transitive verb

extort; exploit; squeeze money from

Negative figurative use: to squeeze money, profit, or value out of someone. It often sounds colloquial or harsh, and 搾る may appear by association with extraction.

• 悪あく徳とく業ぎょう者しゃは利り用よう者しゃから金かねを搾しぼった。

  The unscrupulous company squeezed money out of its users.

godan verb (-ru), transitive verb

scold severely; chew out; rake over the coals

Only when written 絞る

Often used in the passive, especially in the set phrase 油を絞られる, meaning to get a severe scolding.

See also: 油を絞る

• ミスをして、上じょう司しに油あぶらを絞しぼられた。

  I made a mistake and got severely chewed out by my boss.

godan verb (-ru), transitive verb

train hard; drill; put through rigorous practice

Only when written 絞る

Used for making someone undergo hard training or discipline, especially in sports, clubs, or group practice. It can overlap in tone with being put through the wringer.

• 新しん入にゅう部ぶ員いんは夏なつ合がっ宿しゅくで徹てっ底てい的てきに絞しぼられた。

  The new club members were drilled hard at the summer training camp.

godan verb (-ru), transitive verb

narrow down; whittle down; focus

Only when written 絞る

Common abstract use for reducing choices, topics, targets, or focus to a smaller range.

• 候こう補ほを三さん人にんに絞しぼった。

  We narrowed the candidates down to three people.

godan verb (-ru), transitive verb

draw tight; tighten; gather up

Only when written 絞る

Used for tightening or gathering something by drawing it together, such as a drawstring, the mouth of a bag, or gathered fabric.

• 巾きん着ちゃくのひもを絞しぼって、口くちを閉とじた。

  I tightened the drawstring of the pouch and closed its opening.

godan verb (-ru), transitive verb

stop down a lens; reduce the aperture

Only when written 絞る

Photography term for reducing the lens aperture, often expressed with 絞り or an f-number.

• 明あかるすぎたので、レンズをF8まで絞しぼった。

  It was too bright, so I stopped the lens down to f/8.

godan verb (-ru), transitive verb

turn down; lower

Only when written 絞る

Used for reducing a controllable level such as sound volume; 音量を絞る is a common collocation.

• 夜よるなので、ラジオの音おん量りょうを絞しぼった。

  Since it was night, I turned down the radio volume.

godan verb (-ru), transitive verb

draw a bow; bend a bow

Only when written 絞る

Limited traditional or literary use for drawing a bow tight. In modern everyday Japanese, 弓を引く or 引き絞る is often clearer.

• 武ぶ士しは弓ゆみを強つよく絞しぼって狙ねらいを定さだめた。

  The warrior drew his bow tight and took aim.

godan verb (-ru), transitive verb

hold down; constrict; immobilize

Only when written 絞る

Sumo term for clamping down on or restricting the opponent's body or arm so they cannot move freely.

• 力りき士しは相あい手ての差さし手てを絞しぼって動うごきを止とめた。

  The sumo wrestler clamped down on his opponent's inserted arm and stopped his movement.

godan verb (-ru), transitive verb

squeeze

Only with reading しぼる

Go term, usually written in kana. It refers to a tactical squeezing play against the opponent's stones.

See also: 絞り

• 白しろは捨すて石いしを使つかって黒くろ石いしをしぼった。

  White used sacrifice stones to squeeze Black's stones.