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
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.
In recent years, the country has also encouraged the use of compressed natural gas to power vehicles, with natural gas plants and filling stations set up mostly in the largest city, Dar es Salaam.
From BBC ● Oct. 28, 2026
It used a downforce-generating fan system to remain stuck upside down, and then blasted free, flipped—this was the flying part—and touched down amid a cloud of compressed air.
From Slate ● Oct. 19, 2026
Their calculations suggest that changing the order in which plasma is heated and compressed could dramatically reduce the energy needed to reach a self-sustaining fusion reaction.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 10, 2026
As sphagnum grows, its lower layers are compressed by the weight above.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 9, 2026
The data transfer rate just isn’t good enough for the size of music files, even in compressed formats.
From "The Martian" by Andy Weir
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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.