drücke

Drücke is a form of the German verb drücken, meaning to press or push. In ordinary usage it appears as a conjugated verb: ich drücke (I press), du drückst, er/sie/es drückt, wir drücken, ihr drückt, sie/Sie drücken. Its participle is gedrückt and its simple past is drückte. The verb covers both physical pressing (pressing a button, squeezing an object) and figurative senses such as applying pressure or influence, for example Druck ausüben (to exert pressure) or Druck machen (to create pressure).

In common phrases, drücken is also used with body parts or objects: ich drücke dir die Daumen (I’m keeping my fingers crossed for you). The expression unter Druck stehen means to be under pressure, while unter Druck setzen means to put someone under pressure. The related noun for the concept of pressure is Druck; its standard plural is Drucke, not Drücke, making Drücke uncommon as a standalone noun in standard German.

Etymologically, drücken belongs to the Germanic family of words associated with pressing and squeezing, with cognates found in related languages. The sense of pressing has long been central to the verb across German usage, from physical actions to metaphorical or idiomatic expressions.

Aside from its verb use, Drücke is not a standard noun in everyday German. It may appear as a surname or in regional place names, where it functions as a proper noun rather than a common lexical item. In standard reference usage, the core meaning of Drücke centers on the verb form and its wide range of expressions involving pressing or applying pressure.