compress
verb /kəmˈpres/
/kəmˈpres/
Verb Forms
| present simple I / you / we / they compress | /kəmˈpres/ /kəmˈpres/ |
| he / she / it compresses | /kəmˈpresɪz/ /kəmˈpresɪz/ |
| past simple compressed | /kəmˈprest/ /kəmˈprest/ |
| past participle compressed | /kəmˈprest/ /kəmˈprest/ |
| -ing form compressing | /kəmˈpresɪŋ/ /kəmˈpresɪŋ/ |
- [transitive, intransitive] to press things together or press something into a smaller space; to be pressed in this way
- compress something (into something) compressed air/gas
- As more snow fell, the bottom layer was compressed into ice.
- She compressed her lips.
- compress (into something) Her lips compressed into a thin line.
- [transitive] compress something (into something) to reduce something and fit it into a smaller space or amount of time synonym condense
- The main arguments were compressed into one chapter.
- Rehearsal time will have to be compressed into two evenings.
- [transitive] compress something (computing) to make computer files, etc. smaller so that they use less space on a disk, etc. opposite decompress
Word Originlate Middle English: from Old French compresser or late Latin compressare, frequentative of Latin comprimere, from com- ‘together’ + premere ‘to press’; or directly from compress- ‘pressed together’, from the verb comprimere.