Final answer:
The term for outward force or pressure exerted by one part of a structure against another is stress, commonly manifesting as compression, tension, or shear.
Step-by-step explanation:
The term used to describe the outward force or pressure exerted by one part of a structure against another is stress. This force causes deformation of the object, which can be measured in terms of strain. There are several such kinds of forces causing stress, which includes compression, tension, and shear forces. Compression is when an object experiences a squeezing force, tension is when an object is pulled apart, and shear is when forces cause movement or deformation of parts of an object along different planes or directions.