condense

[kuhn-dens]

verb (used with object), con·densed, con·dens·ing.

to make more dense or compact; reduce the volume or extent of; concentrate.
to reduce to a shorter form; abridge: Condense your answer into a few words.
to reduce to another and denser form, as a gas or vapor to a liquid or solid state.

verb (used without object), con·densed, con·dens·ing.

to become denser or more compact or concentrated.
to reduce a book, speech, statement, or the like, to a shorter form.
to become liquid or solid, as a gas or vapor: The steam condensed into droplets.

Origin of condense

1475–85; < Middle French condenser < Latin condēnsāre, equivalent to con- con- + dēnsāre to thicken, verbal derivative of dēnsus dense

Related formso·ver·con·dense, verb, o·ver·con·densed, o·ver·con·dens·ing.pre·con·dense, verb, pre·con·densed, pre·con·dens·ing.re·con·dense, verb, re·con·densed, re·con·dens·ing.un·con·dens·ing, adjective

Synonyms for condense

1. compress, consolidate. 2. digest, epitomize, abstract, abbreviate.

Synonym study

2. See contract.

Antonyms for condense

1. expand.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018

Related Words for condenses

shorten, summarize, curtail, compress, thicken, trim, abbreviate, reduce, snip, digest, compact, cut, sum, inventory, precipitate, shrink, solidify, concentrate, coagulate, encapsulate

Examples from the Web for condenses

Contemporary Examples of condenses

It condenses pain into tiny joke pellets, like a mass-immunization that builds tolerance and vigor.
Young Muslim Comic Takes On Fundamentalists
Moral Courage
May 19, 2014

Historical Examples of condenses

It cools and still cools and condenses, but still fiercely glows.
A Dish Of Orts
George MacDonald
Then the water vapor in it condenses into droplets of water, and these form a cloud.
Common Science
Carleton W. Washburne
As the vapor rises from the mixture and goes into the worm, it cools and condenses.
Common Science
Carleton W. Washburne
They will not understand a man who condenses his thoughts into an octavo.
Jane Austen, Her Life and Letters
William Austen-Leigh and Richard Arthur Austen-Leigh
He condenses their volume of steam into a drop of cold water in a moment.
Crotchet Castle
Thomas Love Peacock

British Dictionary definitions for condenses

condense

verb

(tr) to increase the density of; compress
to reduce or be reduced in volume or size; make or become more compact
to change or cause to change from a gaseous to a liquid or solid state
chem to undergo or cause to undergo condensation

Derived Formscondensable or condensible, adjectivecondensability or condensibility, noun

Word Origin for condense

C15: from Latin condēnsāre, from dēnsāre to make thick, from dēnsus dense

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Word Origin and History for condenses

condense

early 15c., from Middle French condenser (14c.) or directly from Latin condensare "to make dense," from com-, intensive prefix (see com-), + densare "make thick," from densus "dense, thick, crowded," a word used of crowds, darkness, clouds, etc. (see dense).