English Explanatory Dictionary

compress

English dictionary entry

Meanings

verb
  1. To make smaller; to press or squeeze together, or to make something occupy a smaller space or volume.
  2. To be pressed together or folded by compression into a more economic, easier format.
  3. To condense into a more economic, easier format.
  4. To abridge.
  5. To make digital information smaller by encoding it using fewer bits.
  6. To make a pulse or particle bunch shorter by applying dispersion to it.
  7. To embrace sexually.
noun
  1. A multiply folded piece of cloth, a pouch of ice, etc., used to apply to a patient's skin, cover the dressing of wounds, and placed with the aid of a bandage to apply pressure on an injury.
  2. A machine for compressing.

Pronunciation

/kəmˈpɹɛs/ kəmprĕs' en-us-compress-verb.ogg /ˈkɒmpɹɛs/ kŏm'prĕs /ˈkɑmpɹɛs/ en-us-compress-noun.ogg

Word forms

compress compresses compressing compressed

Etymology

From Middle English compressen, from Old French compresser, from Late Latin compressare (“to press hard/together”), from Latin compressus, the past participle of comprimō (“to compress”), itself from com- (“together”) + premō (“press”).

Synonyms

astringe compact telescope compactify condense densitize pack press mash scrunch smush squoosh squash squish squeeze thring thrutch contract abridge shorten truncate abbreviate chop down chop off cut short compress curt curtail lop off make shorter pare prune reduce in length trim saw off zip

Antonyms

decompact decompactify decompress expand uncompress densen decontract lengthen unzip stretch

Related words

compression thicken

Derived words

compressed compressed air compressedly compressibility compressible compressingly compression compressive compressive strength compressor compressure decompress overcompress precompress recompress supercompress
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