compressed
Americanadjective
-
pressed into less space; condensed.
compressed gases.
- Antonyms:
- expanded
-
pressed together.
compressed lips.
-
flattened by or as if by pressure.
compressed wallboard.
-
Zoology, Botany. flattened laterally.
adjective
-
squeezed together or condensed
-
(of the form of flatfishes, certain plant parts, etc) flattened laterally along the whole length
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of compressed
Middle English word dating back to 1325–75; see origin at compress, -ed 2
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.
That’s because companies’ EPS outlooks, especially in technology and energy sectors, are rising faster than stock prices, so valuation multiples are being compressed.
From MarketWatch • Jun. 8, 2026
Observations show that the galaxy's rotating gas disk appears shortened and compressed along its leading edge.
From Science Daily • Jun. 1, 2026
The same compressed timetable governs almost everything in Banda.
From BBC • Jun. 1, 2026
Where we do have a solution is with compressed natural gas, and that’s the one that we’re focused on right now.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 1, 2026
A diamond, the locksmith reminds himself, is only a piece of carbon compressed in the bowels of the earth for eons and driven to the surface in a volcanic pipe.
From "All the Light We Cannot See" by Anthony Doerr
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.
