Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense compresses, present participle compressing, past tense, past participle compressedpronunciation note: The verb is pronounced (kəmpres). The noun is pronounced (kɒmpres).
1. verb
When you compress something or when it compresses, it is pressed or squeezed so that it takes up less space.
Poor posture, sitting or walking slouched over, compresses the body's organs. [VERB noun]
Air will compress but the brake fluid won't. [VERB]
Synonyms: squeeze, crush, squash, constrict More Synonyms of compress
compression (kəmpreʃən)uncountable noun
The compression of the wood is easily achieved. [+ of]
Synonyms: squeezing, pressing, crushing, consolidation More Synonyms of compress
2. verb
If you compress something such as a piece of writing or a description, you make it shorter.
He never understood how to organize or compress large masses of material. [VERB noun]
All those three books are compacted and compressed into one book. [VERB-ed]
3. verb [usually passive]
If an event is compressedinto a short space of time, it is given less time to happen than normal or previously.
The four debates will be compressed into an unprecedentedly short eight-day period. [beVERB-ed + into]
Some courses such as engineering had to be compressed. [beVERB-ed]
4. countable noun
A compress is a pad of wet or dry cloth pressed on part of a patient's body to reduce fever.
Sore throats may be relieved by cold compresses.
More Synonyms of compress
compress in British English
verb (kəmˈprɛs)
1. (transitive)
to squeeze together or compact into less space; condense
2. computing
to apply a compression program to (electronic data) so that it takes up less space
noun (ˈkɒmprɛs)
3.
a wet or dry cloth or gauze pad with or without medication, applied firmly to some part of the body to relieve discomfort, reduce fever, drain a wound, etc
4.
a machine for packing material, esp cotton, under pressure
Derived forms
compressible (comˈpressible)
adjective
compressibleness (comˈpressibleness)
noun
compressibly (comˈpressibly)
adverb
Word origin
C14: from Late Latin compressāre, from Latin comprimere, from premere to press
compress in American English
(kəmˈprɛs; for n. ˈkɑmˌprɛs)
verb transitive
1.
to press together; make more compact by or as by pressure
noun
2.
a pad of folded cloth, sometimes medicated or moistened, for applying pressure, heat, cold, etc. to some part of the body
3. US
a machine for compressing cotton bales
SIMILAR WORDS: ˈconˌtract
Derived forms
compressibility (comˌpressiˈbility)
noun
compressible (comˈpressible)
adjective
Word origin
ME compressen < OFr compresser < LL compressare < L compressus, pp. of comprimere, to squeeze < com-, together + premere, to press1
compress in the Pharmaceutical Industry
(kɒmprɛs)
Word forms: (plural) compresses
noun
(Pharmaceutical: Devices)
A compress is a soft pad of gauze or other material applied with pressure to a part of the body to control hemorrhage or to supply heat, cold, moisture, or medication to alleviate pain or reduce infection.
Hold a compress on the cut to stop the bleeding.
Apply a cold compress to the bite to reduce the pain and swelling.
A compress is a soft pad of gauze or other material applied with pressure to a part of the bodyto control hemorrhage or to supply heat, cold, moisture, or medication to alleviatepain or reduce infection.
Examples of 'compress' in a sentence
compress
There are flexible working options such as compressed and school hours or home working.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
There was a hiss of compressed air and a flurry of bubbles.
Len Deighton Bomber
We live in a very compressed time.
The Sun (2006)
Place a cold compress on the forehead.
Turner, Roger Newman The Hayfever Handbook - a summer survival guide (1988)
The compressed air gave a hiss of anticipation.
Len Deighton Bomber
It also works a treat when applied via a cold compress to the eyes.
Times, Sunday Times (2007)
Strip down the camera and clean with compressed air and a soft brush.
Freeman, Michael Photographers Handbook (1993)
Apply a cold compress to the area as soon as you can to reduce pain and swelling.
Times, Sunday Times (2006)
No need for the emergency compressed air.
Len Deighton Bomber
Give a final quick burst of compressed air to remove any fresh dust.
Freeman, Michael Photographers Handbook (1993)
And you don't need a cylinder of volatile compressed gas in your car to do it.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Women returning to work can request part-time or compressed hours.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Twelve hours is compressed to 20 minutes of pictures.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
The antibiotic drug costs far more than the cold compress which is all yesterday's physician had to fight pneumonia.
Peter F. Drucker MANAGEMENT: task, responsibilities, practices (1974)
Symptoms normally pass within 48 hours and can be eased using a cold compress and resting with the eyes closed.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
Her memory had compressed time.
Higonnet, Anne Berthe Morisot (1990)
Everything is compressed in time.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Neanderthals and modern humans seem to have played out a similar story, much more compressed in time and much closer to our own day.
Wills, Christopher The Runaway Brain: the Evolution of Human Uniqueness (1993)
After that, the arithmetic becomes increasingly complex and would require a cold compress over the forehead if one tried to explain its many intricacies.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
Employees can take advantage of a number of flexible working options such as compressed hours, job sharing and part-time working.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
The engines now run on compressed natural gas, which is said to be 80 per cent cleaner than a petrol engine.
The Sun (2006)
Flexible options such as reduced or compressed hours, or working from home, help employees to fit work around other commitments.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
I defy anyone to dispute the truly Olympian nature of all that, when compressed into one package.
Times, Sunday Times (2012)
In other languages
compress
British English: compress VERB
When you compress something or when it compresses, it is pressed or squeezed so that it takes up less space.
Poor posture, sitting, or walking slouched over, compresses the body's organs.
American English: compress
Brazilian Portuguese: comprimir
Chinese: 压迫
European Spanish: comprimir
French: comprimer
German: komprimieren
Italian: comprimere
Japanese: 圧縮する
Korean: 압축하다
European Portuguese: comprimir
Latin American Spanish: comprimir
Chinese translation of 'compress'
compress
(vbkəmˈprɛs; nˈkɔmprɛs)
vt
[gas, material etc]压(壓)缩(縮) (yāsuō)
⇒ Moira compressed her lips and looked away.莫伊拉紧抿着嘴，朝别处看。 (Mòyīlā jǐn mǐnzhe zuǐ, cháo biéchù kàn.)
(= summarize)[text, information]概括 (gàikuò)
(Comput)[data, file]压(壓)缩(縮) (yāsuō)
n(c)
(Med) 敷布 (fūbù)
1 (verb)
Definition
to squeeze together
Poor posture can compress the body's organs.
Synonyms
squeeze
He squeezed her arm reassuringly.
crush
Their vehicle was crushed by an army tank.
squash
She made clay models and squashed them flat again.
constrict
Severe migraine can be treated with a drug which constricts the blood vessels.
press
The grapes are hand-picked and pressed.
crowd
A group of journalists were crowded into a minibus.
Hundreds of people crowded into the building.
wedge
He wedged himself between the door and the radiator.
cram
We crammed into my car and set off.
2 (verb)
Definition
to condense
Textbooks compressed six millennia of Egyptian history into a few pages.
Synonyms
condense
The English translation has been condensed into a single more readable book.
contract
New research shows that an excess of meat and salt can contract muscles.
concentrate
compact
The soil settles and is compacted by the winter rain.
shorten
When the days shorten, some people suffer from depression.
summarize
To summarize, this is a clever approach to a common problem.
abbreviate
He abbreviated his first name to Alec.
zip
Additional synonyms
in the sense of abbreviate
Definition
to cut short
He abbreviated his first name to Alec.
Synonyms
shorten,
reduce,
contract,
trim,
cut,
clip,
abstract,
digest,
prune,
summarize,
compress,
curtail,
condense,
truncate,
epitomize,
abridge,
précis
in the sense of compact
The soil settles and is compacted by the winter rain.
Synonyms
pack closely,
stuff,
cram,
compress,
condense,
tamp
in the sense of constrict
Definition
to make smaller or narrower by squeezing
Severe migraine can be treated with a drug which constricts the blood vessels.