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compression
[ kuhm-presh-uhn ]
/ kÉmĖprÉŹ Én /
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noun
the act of compressing.
the state of being compressed.
the effect, result, or consequence of being compressed.
(in internal-combustion engines) the reduction in volume and increase of pressure of the air or combustible mixture in the cylinder prior to ignition, produced by the motion of the piston toward the cylinder head after intake.
Also called data compression .Computers. reduction of the storage space required for data by changing its format.
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Also comĀ·presĀ·sure [kuhm-presh-er] /kÉmĖprÉŹ Ér/ (for defs. 1, 2).
Origin of compression
OTHER WORDS FROM compression
Words nearby compression
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Ā© Random House, Inc. 2023
How to use compression in a sentence
British Dictionary definitions for compression
compression
/ (kÉmĖprÉŹÉn) /
noun
Also called: compressure (kÉmĖprÉŹÉ) the act of compressing or the condition of being compressed
an increase in pressure of the charge in an engine or compressor obtained by reducing its volume
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition
Ā© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 Ā© HarperCollins
Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Scientific definitions for compression
compression
[ kÉm-prÄshā²Én ]
A force that tends to shorten or squeeze something, decreasing its volume.
The degree to which a substance has decreased in size (in volume, length, or some other dimension) after being or while being subject to stress. See also strain.
The re-encoding of data (usually the binary data used by computers) into a form that uses fewer bits of information than the original data. Compression is often used to speed the transmission of data such as text or visual images, or to minimize the memory resources needed to store such data.
The American HeritageĀ® Science Dictionary
Copyright Ā© 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
Cultural definitions for compression
The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition
Copyright Ā© 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.