verb

compress

to compress, to squeeze, to condense

The machine compresses the rubbish.

The machine compresses the trash.

You need to compress the file before emailing it.

You need to compress the file before emailing it.

He compressed his speech into ten minutes.

He compressed his speech into ten minutes.

((sth.)) to press (sth.) together. The machine compresses the trash.

((sth.)) ((into sth.)) to reduce (sth.) in size or scope. He compressed his speech into ten minutes.

Synonyms: squeeze, condense, compact; Antonyms: expand, decompress

From Latin 'com-' (together) + 'premere' (to press). It means 'to press together'.

Imagine pressing something together, like a spring or a digital file.

This page is designed for learning support. Please use it as a learning reference, not as a formal reference.