compress
Americanverb (used with object)
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to press together; force into less space.
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to cause to become a solid mass.
to compress cotton into bales.
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to condense, shorten, or abbreviate.
The book was compressed by 50 pages.
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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
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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.
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an apparatus for compressing cotton bales.
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a warehouse for storing cotton bales before shipment.
verb
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(tr) to squeeze together or compact into less space; condense
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computing to apply a compression program to (electronic data) so that it takes up less space
noun
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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
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a machine for packing material, esp cotton, under pressure
Synonym Usage
See contract.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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compressinglyadverb
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compressiblenessnoun
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overcompressverb (used with object)
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compressibleadjective
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noncompressibleadjective
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precompressverb (used with object)
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compressiblyadverb
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uncompressibleadjective
Conjugated Forms
Present
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has compressedperfect 3rd person singular
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have compressedperfect
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has been compressingperfect progressive 3rd person singular
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am compressingprogressive 1st person singular
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compressingparticiple
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compressessingular 3rd person
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have been compressingperfect progressive
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are compressingprogressive
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is compressingprogressive 3rd person singular
Past
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had compressedperfect
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were compressingprogressive plural
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was compressingprogressive singular
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compressedparticiple
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had been compressingperfect progressive
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compressedsimple
Future
Etymology
Origin of compress
1350–1400; (v.) Middle English (< Middle French compresser ) < Late Latin compressāre, frequentative of Latin comprimere to squeeze together ( see com-, press 1); (noun) < Middle French compresse, noun derivative of the v.
Explanation
The noun compress refers to a pad that's held to your body to reduce pain or symptoms of illness. A washcloth dipped in cold water and pressed onto your forehead to help you cool down is a type of compress. As a verb, compress means to squeeze together with a fair amount of pressure. When you compress a sponge to get all the water out, you press it between your palms or squish it between your fingers. Compress can also mean to make something more compact — as with the sponge, when you compress an object it gets smaller. You could even compress a speech by cutting it down into a shorter but equally effective version.
Vocabulary lists containing compress
100 Great Words from "Fahrenheit 451" -- Part I Vocabulary
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Vocabulary Video Contest (2013) - List 1
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The Thing About Jellyfish
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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.
“Supersonic travel will compress the world in a way we haven’t seen since the Jet Age,” says NYU’s Karaburun.
From The Wall Street Journal • May 15, 2026
“If Brent crude remains above $100 a barrel for long, the tax-refund buffer will eventually be exhausted, real income growth will compress further, and aggregate demand will slow.”
From Barron's • May 4, 2026
This provided direct evidence of costal aspiration breathing, where muscles between the ribs expand and compress the chest cavity to pull air into the lungs.
From Science Daily • Apr. 23, 2026
“AI looks more likely to support, rather than compress, margins, particularly for early adopters. It also gives companies an excuse and an incentive to keep hiring low.”
From Barron's • Apr. 15, 2026
She swept my hair aside and pressed the cold compress to my forehead.
From "Salt to the Sea" by Ruta Sepetys
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.
