compress

[kuhm-pres, kom-pres]

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.

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

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

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

Other Word Forms

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

Word History and Origins

Origin of compress¹

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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of compress¹

C14: from Late Latin compressāre, from Latin comprimere, from premere to press

Synonym Study

See contract.

Example Sentences

Researchers have developed a polymer structure shaped like a "Chinese lantern" that can quickly change into more than a dozen curved, three-dimensional forms when it is compressed or twisted.

Read more on Science Daily

Yet “Venetian Vespers,” for all its moodiness, is elegantly compressed—the central drama occupies only a few days—and the conspiracy at its core is convincingly tawdry.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Mr Pearson denies compressing her neck and holding her head under water.

Read more on BBC

These appeals add significantly to the court’s workload and require it to consider thorny legal issues on compressed time frames, with minimal legal briefing.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Thanks to AI, the process of identifying and developing new drugs, once a decadelong slog, is being compressed into months.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

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