condense
Americanverb (used with object)
-
condenses,
present (3rd person singular)
-
condensed,
past participle, past
-
condensing
present participle
-
to make more dense or compact; reduce the volume or extent of; concentrate.
- Synonyms:
- consolidate, compress
- Antonyms:
- expand
-
to reduce to a shorter form; abridge.
Condense your answer into a few words.
- Synonyms:
- abbreviate, abstract, epitomize, digest
-
to reduce to another and denser form, as a gas or vapor to a liquid or solid state.
verb (used without object)
-
condenses,
present (3rd person singular)
-
condensed,
past participle, past
-
condensing
present participle
-
to become denser or more compact or concentrated.
-
to reduce a book, speech, statement, or the like, to a shorter form.
-
to become liquid or solid, as a gas or vapor.
The steam condensed into droplets.
verb
-
(tr) to increase the density of; compress
-
to reduce or be reduced in volume or size; make or become more compact
-
to change or cause to change from a gaseous to a liquid or solid state
-
chem to undergo or cause to undergo condensation
Synonym Usage
See contract.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
condensabilitynoun
-
overcondenseverb
-
precondenseverb
-
recondenseverb
-
condensableadjective
-
uncondensingadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
condensesimple
-
condensessimple
-
have condensedperfect
-
has condensedperfect
-
am condensingprogressive
-
are condensingprogressive
-
is condensingprogressive
-
have been condensingperfect progressive
-
has been condensingperfect progressive
Past
-
condensedsimple
-
had condensedperfect
-
was condensingprogressive
-
were condensingprogressive
-
had been condensingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of condense
First recorded in 1475–85; from Middle French condenser, from Latin condēnsāre, from con- con- + dēnsāre “to thicken,” verb derivative of dēnsus dense
Explanation
When you condense something, you cut it down and trim it. You may love every word of your 1000-page novel, but you'll have to condense the plot into a 2-page summary for your editor. When you condense something, you make it smaller and more compact. If you condense your wardrobe, you get rid things and keep only what you wear most. When a gas or vapor turns to liquid, it condenses. When you take a long, hot shower, the steam condenses in your bathroom, your mirror clouds up, and everything gets damp. Condense comes from Latin con-, “completely” and densus, “thick, dense."
Vocabulary lists containing condense
Chop Chop: Synonyms for "Cut"
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
"DiCaprio Sheds Light on 11th Hour"
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Articles on Natural Disasters
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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.
See Examples For:
These materials do not fit the assumptions behind BCS theory, even though their electrons still form Cooper pairs and condense.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 7, 2026
Aerosols act like tiny seeds around which water vapour can condense, making some clouds brighter or longer-lived.
From BBC ● Sep. 8, 2026
The ice-cream maker will eventually need to condense and centralize all of the AI agents created inside the company, though it’s aiming not to disrupt employee creativity in the process, Friedlander said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● May 15, 2026
"It can't create rain where there is no moisture in the air, but it just 'forces' some of the water to condense in one location rather than another," he told AFP.
From Barron's ● Nov. 2, 2025
Stars condense from interstellar gas and dust, which are composed mostly of hy- drogen.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
The method captures the balance between water vapor produced as air rises and water vapor removed as it condenses onto droplets.
From Science Daily ● Aug. 1, 2026
As the air rises, it cools and the water vapour condenses into a cloud.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
As the Sun heats the ground, the water vapour suddenly condenses.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
The libretto, by the composer and Manuelle Mureddu, efficiently condenses the novel using a chorus as both narrator and the village community.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
Every thought I have condenses into that heartbeat, moving at the same rhythm.
From "Divergent" by Veronica Roth
"There are foundational principles in condensed matter physics that constrain how different phases can appear and disappear when one changes the temperature or applies a magnetic field," May-Mann said.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 7, 2026
Here a condensed and edited excerpt of my conversation with Sodipo:
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 6, 2026
The Pentagon this year condensed more than 200 religious affiliation codes to 31, initially eliminating specific classifications for atheists, Unitarian Universalists, pagans and Wiccans, among others.
From Salon ● Oct. 3, 2026
In many ways, the past month has been the Fury-Joshua saga of the past decade condensed into a few chaotic weeks.
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
The steam then condensed, drawing water up a pipe into the cylinder.
From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton
He describes “Pepperpot City” as “an impressionistic journey . . . condensing my more than forty-five years of exploring Philadelphia’s encyclopedic culinary history.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026
Essentially, cloud seeding speeds up the natural process of water vapor condensing inside of clouds.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
"Not only have we been able to clear the view, but we can finally pin down what the clouds are made out of and how they're condensing and evaporating as they move around the planet."
From Science Daily ● May 27, 2026
The Ombudsman also found the commission "limited the possibility of its departments to provide meaningful input" by condensing internal consultations into "less than 24 hours over a weekend".
From Barron's ● Nov. 27, 2025
Still nervous, Mom knelt down to check on Philip to ensure he was condensing oxygen appropriately.
From "The Fault in Our Stars" by John Green
Random Word
Spin the wheel and learn a new word!
Get a wordDefinitions 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.
