Meanings
compress1
present singular third person compresses · participle present compressing · participle past compressed · past compressed
- transitiveTo make smaller; to press or squeeze together, or to make something occupy a smaller space or volume.
The force required to compress a spring varies linearly with the displacement.
2 more examples
events of centuries […] compressed within the compass of a single life
1825 June 17, Daniel Webster, Speech on the laying of the Corner Stone of the Bunker Hill MonumentThe same strength of expression, though more compressed, runs through his historical harangues.
1810, William Melmoth, transl., Letters of PlinySynonyms: compact, condense, pack, press, squash, squeeze · Antonyms: expand
- intransitiveTo be pressed together or folded by compression into a more economic, easier format.
Our new model compresses easily, ideal for storage and travel
Synonyms: contract · Antonyms: decontract
- transitiveTo condense into a more economic, easier format.
This chart compresses the entire audit report into a few lines on a single diagram.
- transitivecomputingTo make digital information smaller by encoding it using fewer bits.
The command-line tool gzip allows you to compress files in a few different ways. First, gzip can compress results from standard input.
2015, Vince Buffalo, Bioinformatics Data Skills […] , O'Reilly, →ISBNSynonyms: zip · Antonyms: uncompress, decompress, unzip
- transitivenatural sciencesTo make a pulse or particle bunch shorter by applying dispersion to it.
Diffraction gratings are by far the most common elements used to stretch and compress pulses because of their substantial angular dispersion, […]
2019, B. Webb et al., “Simulation of grating compressor misalignment tolerances and mitigation strategies for chirped-pulse–amplification systems of varying bandwidths and beam sizes”, in Applied Optics, volume 58, number 2, pages 234-243Antonyms: stretch
- obsoleteTo embrace sexually.
This nymph compreſs'd by him vvho rules the day, / VVhom Delphi and the Delian iſle obey, / Andræmon lov'd; and, bleſs'd in all thoſe charms / That pleas'd a God, ſucceeded to her arms.
1717, Alexander Pope, “The Fable of Dryope. From the Ninth Book of Ovid’s Metamorphoses.”, in The Works of Mr. Alexander Pope, volume I, London: […] W[illiam] Bowyer, for Bernard Lintot, […], →OCLC, page 295
compress2
Synonyms & antonyms
verbTo make smaller; to press or squeeze together, or to make something occupy a smaller space or volume.
verbTo be pressed together or folded by compression into a more economic, easier format.
verbTo abridge.
verbTo make digital information smaller by encoding it using fewer bits.
verbTo make a pulse or particle bunch shorter by applying dispersion to it.
More synonyms by meaning
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
compress · verb
- Latincompressus
- Late Latincompressare“to press hard/together”
- Old Frenchcompresser
- Middle Englishcompressen
- Englishcompress
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”).
More words from Middle English, Old French, Late Latin
Full word history & related roots →compress · noun
- Latincompressus
- Late Latincompressare“to press hard/together”
- Middle Frenchcompresse
- Englishcompress
From Middle French compresse, from compresse (“to compress”), from Late Latin compressare (“to press hard/together”), from Latin compressus, the past participle of comprimō (“to compress”), itself from com- (“together”) + premō (“press”).
More words from Middle French, Late Latin, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek σπληνίον
- σπληνίον (splēníon)cloth used to dress or apply pressure to wounds
Bulgarian сбивам, сгъстявам
- сбивам (sbivam)to press together into a smaller space
- сгъстявам (sgăstjavam)to press together into a smaller space
- сбивам се (sbivam se)to be pressed together
- сгъстявам се (sgăstjavam se)to be pressed together
- сбивам (sbivam)to condense
- компримирам (komprimiram)to encode digital information into less bits
- компре́с (komprés)cloth used to dress or apply pressure to wounds
Catalan comprimir, compresa
- comprimirto press together into a smaller space
- compresacloth used to dress or apply pressure to wounds
Chinese Mandarin 壓縮 /压缩, 壓縮 /压缩
- 壓縮 /压缩 (yāsuō)to press together into a smaller space
- 壓縮 /压缩 (yāsuō)to encode digital information into less bits
- 冷敷 (lěngfū)cloth used to dress or apply pressure to wounds
- 熱敷 /热敷 (rèfū)cloth used to dress or apply pressure to wounds
- 濕布 /湿布 (shībù)cloth used to dress or apply pressure to wounds
Czech komprimovat, kompres
- komprimovatto encode digital information into less bits
- komprescloth used to dress or apply pressure to wounds
Danish kompres
- komprescloth used to dress or apply pressure to wounds
Dutch comprimeren, samendrukken
- comprimerento press together into a smaller space
- samendrukkento press together into a smaller space
- verdichtento press together into a smaller space
- comprimerento be pressed together
- krimpento be pressed together
- comprimerento condense
- samenvattento condense
- verdichtento condense
- comprimerento encode digital information into less bits
- komprescloth used to dress or apply pressure to wounds
Esperanto kunpremi, kunpremiĝi
- kunpremito press together into a smaller space
- kunpremiĝito be pressed together
- densigito encode digital information into less bits
- kunpremito encode digital information into less bits
Estonian mähis, side
- mähiscloth used to dress or apply pressure to wounds
- sidecloth used to dress or apply pressure to wounds
- kompresscloth used to dress or apply pressure to wounds
Finnish puristaa, pusertaa
- puristaato press together into a smaller space
- pusertaato press together into a smaller space
- kompressoidato press together into a smaller space
- puristuato be pressed together
- pusertuato be pressed together
- kompressoituato be pressed together
- tiivistääto condense
- pakatato encode digital information into less bits
- tiivistääto encode digital information into less bits
- haudesidoscloth used to dress or apply pressure to wounds
- haudecloth used to dress or apply pressure to wounds
- kompressicloth used to dress or apply pressure to wounds
French comprimer, compresser
- comprimerto press together into a smaller space
- compresserto encode digital information into less bits
- compressecloth used to dress or apply pressure to wounds
German komprimieren, komprimieren
- komprimierento press together into a smaller space
- komprimierento condense
- komprimierento encode digital information into less bits
- Kompressecloth used to dress or apply pressure to wounds
Greek συμπιέζω, κομπρέσα
- συμπιέζω (sympiézo)to press together into a smaller space
- κομπρέσα (komprésa)cloth used to dress or apply pressure to wounds
Hungarian borogatás
- borogatáscloth used to dress or apply pressure to wounds
Icelandic þjappa
- þjappato encode digital information into less bits
Indonesian kompres
- komprescloth used to dress or apply pressure to wounds
Irish dlúthaigh, dlúthaigh
- dlúthaighto press together into a smaller space
- dlúthaighto be pressed together
Italian comprimere, compressa
- comprimereto press together into a smaller space
- compressacloth used to dress or apply pressure to wounds
Japanese 圧縮する, 要約する
- 圧縮する (asshuku suru)to press together into a smaller space
- 要約する (yōyaku suru)to condense
- 圧縮する (asshuku suru)to encode digital information into less bits
- 湿布 (shippu)cloth used to dress or apply pressure to wounds
Latin comprimō, stringō
- comprimōto press together into a smaller space
- stringōto press together into a smaller space
- fōmentumcloth used to dress or apply pressure to wounds
Māori whakawhāiti, kurutē
- whakawhāitito press together into a smaller space
- kurutēto press together into a smaller space
- whakarāpopototo condense
Norwegian Bokmål kompress
- kompresscloth used to dress or apply pressure to wounds
Polish okład
- okładcloth used to dress or apply pressure to wounds
Portuguese comprimir, comprimir
- comprimirto press together into a smaller space
- comprimirto encode digital information into less bits
- compressacloth used to dress or apply pressure to wounds
Romanian compresă
- compresăcloth used to dress or apply pressure to wounds
Russian сжима́ть, сжать
- сжима́ть (sžimátʹ)to press together into a smaller space
- сжать (sžatʹ)to press together into a smaller space
- сда́вливать (sdávlivatʹ)to press together into a smaller space
- сдави́ть (sdavítʹ)to press together into a smaller space
- сжима́ться (sžimátʹsja)to be pressed together
- сжа́ться (sžátʹsja)to be pressed together
- уплотня́ть (uplotnjátʹ)to condense
- уплотни́ть (uplotnítʹ)to condense
- компре́сс (kompréss)cloth used to dress or apply pressure to wounds
Spanish comprimir, comprimirse
- comprimirto press together into a smaller space
- comprimirseto be pressed together
- comprimirto encode digital information into less bits
- compresacloth used to dress or apply pressure to wounds
Swedish komprimera, packa
- komprimerato press together into a smaller space
- packato press together into a smaller space
Welsh cywasgu, gwasgu
- cywasguto press together into a smaller space
- gwasguto press together into a smaller space
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with compress
Cite this entry
compress. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/compress
“compress.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/compress. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “compress,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/compress.
Source: compress on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.