Compress
Contents
English
Verb
Compress (third-person singular simple present compresses, present participle compressing, simple past and past participle compressed)
- (transitive) To make smaller; to press or squeeze together, or to make something occupy a smaller space or volume.
- (intransitive) To be pressed together or folded by compression into a more economic, easier format.
- (transitive) To condense into a more economic, easier format.
- (transitive) To abridge.
- (technology) (transitive) To make digital information smaller by encoding it using fewer bits.
Noun
Compress (plural Compresses)- 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.
- A machine for compressing
Adverbs for Compress
firmly; severely; savagely; bitterly; tightly; angrily; powerfully; dramatically.
Synonyms for Compress
- (press together): compact, condense, pack, press, squash, squeeze
- (be pressed together): contract
- (condense, abridge): abridge, condense, shorten, truncate
Antonyms for Compress
- (press together): expand
- (be pressed together): decontract
- (condense, abridge): expand, lengthen
- (make computing data smaller): uncompress
Derived terms
compressed; compressed air; compressedly; compressibility; compressible; compression; compressive; compressive strength; compressor; decompress; compression
Related terms
Thesaurus
Ace bandage, Band-Aid, abbreviate, abridge, abstract, adhesive tape, application, band, bandage, bandaging, bear, binder, bob, boil down, brace, capsulize, cast, cataplasm, circumscribe, clamp, clip, coarct, compact, concentrate, condense, congest, consolidate, constrict, constringe, contract, cotton, court plaster, cram, cramp, cravat, crop, crowd, crush, curtail, cut, cut back, cut down, cut off short, cut short, damp, dampen, decrease, deduct, deflate, densen, densify, depreciate, depress, diminish, dock, downgrade, draw, draw in, draw together, dressing, elastic bandage, elide, ensphere, epithem, epitomize, foreshorten, four-tailed bandage, gauze, jam, knit, lessen, lint, lower, mow, narrow, nip, pare, pinch, plaster, plaster cast, pledget, poll, pollard, poultice, press, prune, pucker, pucker up, purse, push, ram down, reap, recap, recapitulate, reduce, retrench, roll back, roller, roller bandage, rubber bandage, scale down, shave, shear, shorten, shrink, simplify, sling, snub, solidify, splint, sponge, squab, squash, squeeze, squish, step down, strangle, strangulate, stunt, stupe, sum up, summarize, synopsize, take from, take in, tampon, tape, telescope, tent, tighten, tourniquet, triangular bandage, trim, truncate, tune down, tweak, wad up, wrinkle
Etymology
- From Middle French compressen, from Late Latin compressare 'to press hard/together', from compressus, the past participle of comprimere 'to compress', itself from com- 'together' + premere 'to press'
- From Middle French compresse, from compresser 'to compress', from Late Latin compressare 'to press hard/together', from compressus, the past participle of comprimere 'to compress', itself from com- 'together' + premere 'to press'
