condense
Americanverb (used with object)
-
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)
-
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
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(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
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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:
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
Meteorology produces an overwhelming amount of data; it's difficult to condense it into a snappy, TV or digital app-friendly prediction.
From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2025
These dusty specks condense from the hottest parts of the cloud, in a similar way to the raindrops that form inside clouds here on Earth.
From Space Scoop ● Jul. 16, 2025
You're thinking, "Mars's atmosphere isn't liquid. Why does the Hab's air condense?"
From "The Martian" by Andy Weir
As the Sun heats the ground, the water vapour suddenly condenses.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
As the air rises, it cools and the water vapour condenses into a cloud.
From BBC ● Jul. 27, 2026
Rising water vapor condenses into droplets and ice crystals that become electrically charged, eventually producing large voltage differences between clouds or between clouds and the ground.
From Science Daily ● May 21, 2026
Ms. Bohman condenses decades into this brief, potent book, jumping from Hanna’s disoriented youth to her success as a painter of dark mountain scenes.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 17, 2026
Every thought I have condenses into that heartbeat, moving at the same rhythm.
From "Divergent" by Veronica Roth
The following excerpt has been edited and condensed for clarity.
From Slate ● Jul. 27, 2026
After Netflix greenlit a two-hour finale instead, Oseman elected to zero in on her protagonists — not unlike her comics — rather than give each character their own, heavily condensed arc.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 17, 2026
The movie is more condensed than the novel; Hitchcock accepted that the film medium cannot access the inner thoughts of a human being, and so significant swaths of the book were excised.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 10, 2026
She later returned to play out a condensed set.
From BBC ● Jun. 21, 2026
Sometimes the wetness in the clouds condensed into tiny drops half mist and half rain, which floated downward rather than fell, making a soft rustling patter among the millions of needles.
From "The Amber Spyglass" by Philip Pullman
Instead, like a still condensing sugar-saturated slop into a refined liquor, this downsizing concentrates the force of his images, shifting the mood from one of frivolity to seriousness.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 9, 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
Veragon says its units, which use the cooling and condensing system, cost between $60,000 and $70,000.
From BBC ● May 27, 2024
Elements that would form rocks on Earth melt and evaporate here, before condensing on the slightly cooler night side, creating clouds of iron that drip molten iron rain.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 5, 2024
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
Definitions 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.
