condense
Americanverb (used with object)
-
condenses,
present (3rd person singular)
-
condensed,
past participle, past
-
condensing
present participle
-
to make more dense or compact; reduce the volume or extent of; concentrate.
- Synonyms:
- consolidate, compress
- Antonyms:
- expand
-
to reduce to a shorter form; abridge.
Condense your answer into a few words.
- Synonyms:
- abbreviate, abstract, epitomize, digest
-
to reduce to another and denser form, as a gas or vapor to a liquid or solid state.
verb (used without object)
-
condenses,
present (3rd person singular)
-
condensed,
past participle, past
-
condensing
present participle
-
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.
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
Synonym Usage
See contract.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
-
condensabilitynoun
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overcondenseverb
-
precondenseverb
-
recondenseverb
-
condensableadjective
-
uncondensingadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
condensesimple
-
condensessimple
-
have condensedperfect
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has condensedperfect
-
am condensingprogressive
-
are condensingprogressive
-
is condensingprogressive
-
have been condensingperfect progressive
-
has been condensingperfect progressive
Past
-
condensedsimple
-
had condensedperfect
-
was condensingprogressive
-
were condensingprogressive
-
had been condensingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of condense
First recorded in 1475–85; from Middle French condenser, from Latin condēnsāre, from con- con- + dēnsāre “to thicken,” verb derivative of dēnsus dense
Explanation
When you condense something, you cut it down and trim it. You may love every word of your 1000-page novel, but you'll have to condense the plot into a 2-page summary for your editor. When you condense something, you make it smaller and more compact. If you condense your wardrobe, you get rid things and keep only what you wear most. When a gas or vapor turns to liquid, it condenses. When you take a long, hot shower, the steam condenses in your bathroom, your mirror clouds up, and everything gets damp. Condense comes from Latin con-, “completely” and densus, “thick, dense."
Vocabulary lists containing condense
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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.
See Examples For:
Still, having a car can condense a one-hour journey with multiple transfers into a 20-minute drive.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026
Teams would think, if you can condense play in their areas, you can control them - and if it goes over to another part of the pitch, you can cope with it.
From BBC ● Feb. 22, 2026
"It can't create rain where there is no moisture in the air, but it just 'forces' some of the water to condense in one location rather than another," he told AFP.
From Barron's ● Nov. 2, 2025
This phenomenon involves cooler, heavier blobs of plasma that condense high above the Sun's surface and then plunge back down.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 15, 2025
As one, the buzzing cloud seemed to constrict and condense, tighten into a knot of noise, a swarm of wings.
From "Orphan Island" by Laurel Snyder
Gilbert said they have been harvesting at 03:00 BST to bring the moisture up, as at that time of day it's cooler and water condenses.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
As the Sun heats the ground, the water vapour suddenly condenses.
From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026
The libretto, by the composer and Manuelle Mureddu, efficiently condenses the novel using a chorus as both narrator and the village community.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026
Constant stretching and compression of a moon can create recurring wet dry cycles where water repeatedly evaporates and condenses.
From Science Daily ● May 29, 2026
In front of me, the sheet of red light collects and condenses into an orb of golden Obayifo spirit.
From "Kwame Crashes the Underworld" by Craig Kofi Farmer
A portion of their conversation has been edited and condensed for clarity below.
From Slate ● Oct. 16, 2026
"There are foundational principles in condensed matter physics that constrain how different phases can appear and disappear when one changes the temperature or applies a magnetic field," May-Mann said.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 7, 2026
The Pentagon this year condensed more than 200 religious affiliation codes to 31, initially eliminating specific classifications for atheists, Unitarian Universalists, pagans and Wiccans, among others.
From Salon ● Oct. 3, 2026
This interview has been condensed and edited for clarity:
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 25, 2026
The Earth condensed out of interstellar gas and dust some 4.6 billion years ago.
From "Cosmos" by Carl Sagan
Essentially, cloud seeding speeds up the natural process of water vapor condensing inside of clouds.
From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026
"Not only have we been able to clear the view, but we can finally pin down what the clouds are made out of and how they're condensing and evaporating as they move around the planet."
From Science Daily ● May 27, 2026
Instead, like a still condensing sugar-saturated slop into a refined liquor, this downsizing concentrates the force of his images, shifting the mood from one of frivolity to seriousness.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 9, 2026
The Ombudsman also found the commission "limited the possibility of its departments to provide meaningful input" by condensing internal consultations into "less than 24 hours over a weekend".
From Barron's ● Nov. 27, 2025
Still nervous, Mom knelt down to check on Philip to ensure he was condensing oxygen appropriately.
From "The Fault in Our Stars" by John Green
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Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
