compress: Meaning and Definition of

com•press

1. to press together; force into less space.
2. to cause to become a solid mass: to compress cotton into bales.
3. to condense, shorten, or abbreviate: The book was compressed by 50 pages.

1. a soft, cloth pad held in place by a bandage and used to provide pressure or to supply moisture, cold, heat, or medication.
2. an apparatus for compressing cotton bales.
3. a warehouse for storing cotton bales before shipment.