Adjacent Words

Compress definitions

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Webster's 1828 Dictionary

COMPRESS, v.t. [L. To press. See Press.]
1. To press together by external force; to force, urge or drive into a narrower compass; to crowd; as, to compress air.
The weight of a thousand atmospheres will compress water twelve and a half per cent.
2. To embrace carnally.
3. To crowd; to bring within narrow limits or space.
Events of centuries--compressed within the compass of a single life.
COMPRESS, n. In surgery, a bolster of soft linen cloth, with several folds, used by surgeons to cover a plaster or dressing, to keep it in its place and defend the part from the external air.

WordNet (r) 3.0 (2005)

n
1: a cloth pad or dressing (with or without medication) applied firmly to some part of the body (to relieve discomfort or reduce fever) v
1: make more compact by or as if by pressing; "compress the data" [syn: compress, compact, pack together] [ant: decompress, uncompress]
2: squeeze or press together; "she compressed her lips"; "the spasm contracted the muscle" [syn: compress, constrict, squeeze, compact, contract, press]

Merriam Webster's

I. verb Etymology: Middle English, from Late Latin compressare to press hard, frequentative of Latin comprimere to compress, from com- + premere to press — more at press Date: 14th century transitive verb 1. to press or squeeze together 2. to reduce in size, quantity, or volume as if by squeezing <compress a computer file> intransitive verb to undergo compression Synonyms: see contract II. noun Etymology: Middle French compresse, from compresser to compress, from Late Latin compressare Date: 1599 1. a folded cloth or pad applied so as to press upon a body part 2. a machine for compressing

Oxford Reference Dictionary

v. & n. --v.tr. 1 squeeze together. 2 bring into a smaller space or shorter extent. --n. a pad of lint etc. pressed on to part of the body to relieve inflammation, stop bleeding, etc. Phrases and idioms: compressed air air at more than atmospheric pressure. Derivatives: compressible adj. compressibility n. compressive adj. Etymology: ME f. OF compresser or LL compressare frequent. of L comprimere compress- (as COM-, premere press)

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Compress Com*press", v. t. [imp. & p. p. Compressed; p. pr & vb. n. Compressing.] [L. compressus, p. p. of comprimere to compress: com- + premere to press. See Press.] 1. To press or squeeze together; to force into a narrower compass; to reduce the volume of by pressure; to compact; to condense; as, to compress air or water. Events of centuries . . . compressed within the compass of a single life. --D. Webster. The same strength of expression, though more compressed, runs through his historical harangues. --Melmoth. 2. To embrace sexually. [Obs.] --Pope. Syn: To crowd; squeeze; condense; reduce; abridge.

Webster's 1913 Dictionary

Compress Com"press, n. [F. compresse.] (Surg.) A folded piece of cloth, pledget of lint, etc., used to cover the dressing of wounds, and so placed as, by the aid of a bandage, to make due pressure on any part.

Collin's Cobuild Dictionary

(compressed) 1. 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... Air will compress but the brake fluid won't. VERB: V n, V • compression The compression of the wood is easily achieved. N-UNCOUNT 2. If you compress something such as a piece of writing or a description, you make it shorter. All those three books are compacted and compressed into one book. = condense VERB: V n 3. If an event is compressed into 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... Some courses such as engineering had to be compressed. VERB: usu passive, be V-ed into n, be V-ed 4. 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. N-COUNT

Soule's Dictionary of English Synonyms

I. v. a. 1. Press together, close tightly, shut firmly. 2. Bind tightly, wrap closely. 3. Squeeze or press together or into smaller compass, condense. 4. Squeeze, force, crowd, press. 5. Make brief, abbreviate, condense, make terse or pithy. II. n. (Surg.) Bandage, compressing pad.

Moby 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