COMPRESSES Synonyms: 59 Similar and Opposite Words

compresses

verb

present tense third-person singular of compress

as in condenses

to reduce in size or volume by or as if by pressing parts or members together a science textbook that compresses a lot of information about human reproduction into a few short chapters

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as in shrinks

to become smaller in size or volume through the drawing together of particles of matter the substance can compress under pressure

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Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of compresses Deal teams that prepare before a potential transaction (something my company has created a checklist for) can gain an advantage as technology compresses timelines. — Rusty Wiley, Forbes.com, 1 Oct. 2026 Much like an engine compresses fuel before ignition, FLARE first assembles the fuel to high density before delivering a separate, rapid burst of energy to trigger fusion. — Prabhat Ranjan Mishra, Interesting Engineering, 26 Sep. 2026 Christmas tree pins have a tiered configuration that compresses rather than pierces the ground (a win for modern synthetic or Mondo tracks). — Stacia Datskovska, Footwear News, 10 Sep. 2026 This particular Amazon find, which compresses down for packing, has garnered thousands of five-star ratings and is currently marked as Amazon’s Choice. — Olivia Bria, Travel + Leisure, 5 Sep. 2026 Framed as an ensemble drama rather than the story of a single heroic whistleblower, the production compresses Ibsen’s plot, reimagines the ending and leans into satire without sacrificing moral bite. — Theater Critic, Los Angeles Times, 26 Aug. 2026 That intuition usually takes years to build, but a new controller from MIT engineers compresses that learning curve to a single session. — New Atlas, 21 Aug. 2026 Indeed, the Lorentz contraction compresses a moving object, although the contraction does not appear in a snapshot of the object. — Aaron Shattuck, Scientific American, 18 Aug. 2026 The spines only penetrate the ice as the suspension compresses, generating grip and protecting them from high-impact forces. — Tim Hornyak, IEEE Spectrum, 18 Aug. 2026

Recent Examples of Synonyms for compresses

Verb

Paraphrasing generally restates the original information in different language while retaining the key ideas, whereas summarizing condenses the information into a shorter version.

— Ethan Stone, Kansas City Star, 16 Oct. 2026
Headway condenses nonfiction and fiction books into 15-minute summaries that make key ideas easier to fit into your schedule.

— StackCommerce Team, PC Magazine, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of condenses

Verb

That offset shrinks to only 38mm when installing a 280mm radiator kit.

— Thomas Soderstrom, PC Magazine, 10 Oct. 2026
Since rates are computed by dividing the number of cases by the population at risk in a specified time period, then by definition, if the number of cases stays the same but the size of the denominator shrinks, the rates will be higher.

— Nancy Krieger, STAT, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of shrinks

Verb

But as the Iran war squeezes Republicans ahead of the midterms, Democrats are aligning to call for the defense secretary’s ouster or resignation.

— Nicholas Wu, semafor.com, 9 Oct. 2026
That wrestling match itself, however, makes for compelling theater about as often as the camel squeezes through the needle.

— Sara Holdren, Vulture, 2 Oct. 2026

Definition of squeezes

Verb

This stress response constricts blood vessels and accelerates heart rate, which can contribute to blood pressure spikes.

— Kathleen Ferraro, Verywell Health, 11 June 2026
The coldness of the water constricts arteries, requiring the heart to work harder than normal to function.

— Saleen Martin, USA Today, 14 Apr. 2026

Definition of constricts

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compressed

compresses

compressible

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“Compresses.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/compresses. Accessed 20 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of compresses

verb

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