compress

1. 1.

   make more compact by or as if by pressing

   “compress the data”

   Synonymscompactpack together

   Antonymsdecompress

   Broaderwedge

   Narrowertamp down
2. 2.

   squeeze or press together

   “she compressed her lips”

   “the spasm contracted the muscle”

   Synonymsconstrictsqueezecompactcontractpress

   Broadertighten

   Narrowerchokeprimastringestrangulateconvulsebear down

1. 1.

   a cloth pad or dressing (with or without medication) applied firmly to some part of the body (to relieve discomfort or reduce fever)

   Broaderdressing

Other forms of compress

plural

compresses·

past tense

compressed·

present participle

compressing·

Forms marked · are formed by the regular rule rather than recorded in the source data. English keeps a few hundred irregulars and the rest follow the pattern, so the rule is right far more often than not — but it is a rule, and the mark says so.

Questions about compress

What does compress mean?

compress means "make more compact by or as if by pressing". That is the primary sense; the word has 3 in total, listed in full on this page.

How many syllables are in compress?

compress has 2 syllables: com-press. The stress falls on "com". In IPA it is /ˈkɑmpɹɛs/.

What is another word for compress?

Close synonyms include compact, pack together, constrict, squeeze, compact. Each sense on this page lists its own synonyms, because a word with several meanings rarely has one substitute that works for all of them.

What is the opposite of compress?

The recorded antonyms are decompress.

Is compress a common word?

compress is banded "Familiar" — widely understood, used when the subject calls for it. The band comes from how often the word appears in a large corpus of everyday English, not from an editor's impression.