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Scheduling vocabularyphrasal verb · /skwiːz ɪn/

squeeze in

In simple English

To fit a task, meeting, or person into a tight schedule, usually by finding a small gap between other commitments.

Someone heard this in a meeting or Slack and wants to know what it means when a colleague says they can "squeeze in" a call.

At a glanceCEFR B1–B2
Commonness
Versatility
FormalityCasualFormalCasual
Spoken ↔ WrittenSpokenWrittenBoth
Directness ↔ DiplomaticDirectDiplomaticNeutral
Region

Say it like this

✓Let me see if I can squeeze in a quick call before lunch.
✓Can we squeeze in a 15-minute sync this afternoon?
✓I squeezed in the code review between meetings.
✓I'm pretty packed today, but I can try to squeeze you in at 3.
✓We managed to squeeze in the hotfix before the release.

Real examples

Standup

"I'll try to squeeze in the API fix before end of day if I have time."

Slack message

"Hey, can we squeeze in a quick sync at 2pm? I have a few questions about the migration."

GitHub PR

"Squeezed in a small refactor while fixing the bug — let me know if it's too much for this PR."

Jira ticket

"We can squeeze this into the current sprint if we deprioritize the dashboard task."

Retrospective

"We squeezed in too many tasks last sprint and ended up rushing the QA."

Sprint planning

"Can we squeeze in one more story if it's small enough?"

Pair programming

"Let me squeeze in a quick test for this edge case before we move on."

Don't say this

✕I will squeeze the meeting in the afternoon.
✓I will squeeze in the meeting this afternoon.— The phrasal verb 'squeeze in' stays together. Don't separate 'squeeze' and 'in' with the object.
✕Can you squeeze in me tomorrow?
✓Can you squeeze me in tomorrow?— When using a pronoun (me, you, it), it goes between 'squeeze' and 'in'.
✕I squeezed in a 3-hour training session.
✓I scheduled a 3-hour training session.— 'Squeeze in' implies something quick or small. For long tasks, use 'schedule' or 'fit in'.

Other forms

base form

squeeze in

"I'll squeeze in a quick review."

past tense

squeezed in

"We squeezed in a bug fix before release."

present continuous

squeezing in

"I'm squeezing in some refactoring this afternoon."

third person

squeezes in

"She always squeezes in time for code reviews."

Often used with

squeeze in a meetingVery common for scheduling short calls
squeeze in a quick callUsed for brief, informal syncs
squeeze in beforeDoing something just before a deadline or event
try to squeeze inPolite way to say you'll attempt to find time
squeeze in one moreAdding a final item to a full list or schedule

Similar words

fit inMore neutral, less emphasis on being busy
slot inMore common in UK English, same meaning
work inSimilar meaning, slightly more formal
make time forMore intentional, less about tight scheduling
find time forNeutral alternative, doesn't emphasize busyness

Opposites

push backpostponereschedulebumpskip

Practice

Try it

4 quick exercises

Choose the most natural response

1. A colleague asks: 'Can we talk about the deployment today?' You're very busy. What do you say?

Find the error

2. I need to squeeze in her before my next meeting.

Complete the sentence

3. Let me see if I can _______ a code review before lunch.

Rewrite more naturally

4. I will try to put the meeting somewhere in my calendar today even though I am busy.

More words

time-boxsyncblockerbandwidthcapacityslotcarve out timeheads up

Questions

Quick poll

Have you said "squeeze in" in a standup this week?

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