compress

Everyday

1. To compress something is to press or squeeze it so it takes up less space. tree →
2. (computing) To compress a file is to make it smaller so it is quicker to send or store. tree →
3. To compress words or time is to make them shorter: «compress the story into one page». tree →
4. A compress is a pad of cloth, often cold or warm and wet, pressed on the body to ease pain or swelling. tree →

In the lessons

In science, gases can be compressed (air in a bike tyre or a spray can); springs compress when pushed. In first aid, a cold compress helps a bump or sprain. In computing, files are compressed into zip files. Phrases: «compressed air», «cold compress», «compress a file».

Examples

• When you squash a sponge, you compress it. tree →
• The air in a bicycle pump is compressed. tree →
• Dad compressed the photos so he could email them. tree →
• Put a cold compress on the bruise. tree →
• The spring compresses when you press it and springs back. tree →
• Gases can be compressed much more than liquids. tree →
• We had to compress our story into 100 words. tree →

Note

Stress differs: verb com-PRESS, noun COM-press. Noun of the action: «compression». In science: gases compress easily; liquids and solids hardly at all.