compress

American  

[kuhm-pres, kom-pres] / kəmˈprɛs, ˈkɒm prɛs /

verb (used with object)

1. to press together; force into less space.

   Synonyms:

   constrict, squeeze, condense

   Antonyms:

   lay, expand

2. to cause to become a solid mass.

   to compress cotton into bales.

3. to condense, shorten, or abbreviate.

   The book was compressed by 50 pages.

4. Computers. to reduce the storage space required for (data) by changing its format.

   The algorithm should compress the video file without losing any quality.

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noun

1. Medicine/Medical. a soft, cloth pad held in place by a bandage and used to provide pressure or to supply moisture, cold, heat, or medication.

2. an apparatus for compressing cotton bales.

3. a warehouse for storing cotton bales before shipment.

compress British  

verb

1. (tr) to squeeze together or compact into less space; condense

2. computing to apply a compression program to (electronic data) so that it takes up less space

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noun

1. a wet or dry cloth or gauze pad with or without medication, applied firmly to some part of the body to relieve discomfort, reduce fever, drain a wound, etc

2. a machine for packing material, esp cotton, under pressure

Related Words

See contract.

Other Word Forms

• compressible adjective
• compressibleness noun
• compressibly adverb
• compressingly adverb
• noncompressible adjective
• overcompress verb (used with object)
• precompress verb (used with object)
• uncompressible adjective

Etymology

Origin of compress

1350–1400; (v.) Middle English (< Middle French compresser ) < Late Latin compressāre, frequentative of Latin comprimere to squeeze together ( com-, press ¹ ); (noun) < Middle French compresse, noun derivative of the v.

Example Sentences

You cannot compress a barrel of oil with an algorithm.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 6, 2026

It does not compress the model’s permanent weights.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 6, 2026

You pay more, compress margins and pass much of the additional cost on to customers.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 24, 2026

Real estate is the latest industry where investors are assessing whether AI will hollow out labor-intensive business models and compress margins at companies that sell expertise at high prices.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 23, 2026

The nurse at Jamison puts a bandage over the laceration and asks me to hold an icy compress on my wound, which I do.

From "Counting by 7s" by Holly Goldberg Sloan

Related Words

• abbreviate
• constrict
• cram
• restrict
• shorten
• shrink
• squeeze
• wrap