1
as in to compress
to become smaller in size or volume through the drawing together of particles of matter over time the once-fluffy material in the pillow had condensed into a lumpy wad

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

2
3

Synonym Chooser

How is the word condense different from other verbs like it?

Some common synonyms of condense are compress, constrict, contract, deflate, and shrink. While all these words mean "to decrease in bulk or volume," condense implies a reducing of something homogeneous to greater compactness without significant loss of content.

condense the essay into a paragraph

Where would compress be a reasonable alternative to condense?

While in some cases nearly identical to condense, compress implies a pressing into a small compass and definite shape usually against resistance.

compressed cotton into bales

When would constrict be a good substitute for condense?

The meanings of constrict and condense largely overlap; however, constrict implies a tightening that reduces diameter.

the throat is constricted by a tight collar

In what contexts can contract take the place of condense?

The words contract and condense can be used in similar contexts, but contract applies to a drawing together of surfaces or particles or a reduction of area or length.

caused her muscles to contract

When is it sensible to use deflate instead of condense?

The words deflate and condense are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, deflate implies a contracting by reducing the internal pressure of contained air or gas.

deflate the balloon

When could shrink be used to replace condense?

Although the words shrink and condense have much in common, shrink implies a contracting or a loss of material and stresses a falling short of original dimensions.

the sweater will shrink when washed

Example Sentences

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 condense This conversation has been edited and condensed for concision and clarity. Harrison Jacobs, ARTnews.com, 24 Mar. 2025 This conversation has been condensed and edited for clarity. Emily Anthes, New York Times, 24 Mar. 2025 In many galaxies, this material would be cooling and condensing to produce new stars. Robert Lea, Space.com, 24 Mar. 2025 The conversation with Bloomfield below has been edited and condensed. Erin Brodwin, Axios, 20 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for condense
Recent Examples of Synonyms for condense
Verb
  • It's considered lossless to the eye, but the signal is actually compressed at a 3:1 ratio.
    PCMAG, PCMAG, 18 Mar. 2025
  • The Liberal leadership race was compressed, and Carney was far ahead all along, so his opponents were not motivated to challenge him too much.
    Stephen Maher, TIME, 9 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • But skyrocketing home prices and stubbornly high mortgage rates in the past few years have squeezed many buyers to the sidelines of the market, raising concerns that this year will see a nationwide drop in sales even during the spring homebuying season.
    Thomas G. Moukawsher, Newsweek, 22 Mar. 2025
  • This 2019 retread attempts to squeeze that same emotional response out of viewers, simply by recreating every frame through photorealistic CGI.
    Staff Author, EW.com, 22 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • These layoffs reduced staffing at some local weather forecast offices to threadbare levels, causing some to reduce their services.
    Andrew Freedman, Axios, 17 Mar. 2025
  • Although reducing the property tax burden could provide significant benefits to business owners and homeowners, there’s no guarantee that landlords would pass those savings on to their tenants.
    Matthew Kelly, Kansas City Star, 16 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • By shrinking the gold Mega Ball pool from 25 to 24, the odds of winning the jackpot will improve from about 1 in 302.6 million to 1 in 290.5 million.
    Mike Winters, CNBC, 26 Mar. 2025
  • According to the Pew Research Center, the share of Americans in the middle class has shrunk over recent decades.
    Paul Du Quenoy, MSNBC Newsweek, 26 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • After abolition, the U.S. economy found new ways to extract labor from Black people: sharecropping, prison labor, and low-wage industrial labor.
    Banseka Kayembe, refinery29.com, 17 Mar. 2025
  • His team developed a set of out-of-context reasoning tests to probe whether AI can extract implicit rules and act upon them without explicit examples.
    Craig S. Smith, Forbes, 17 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • Take two minutes to breathe deeply and concentrate on your breath.
    David Ko, Forbes, 20 Mar. 2025
  • For decades, the feds predominantly chose to only target businesses that expressly marketed their products as poppers intended for inhalation, concentrating their enforcement efforts on more dangerous drugs.
    David Mack, Rolling Stone, 19 Mar. 2025
Verb
  • In other instances, including the president's attempt to invoke the wartime Alien Enemies Act to remove certain migrants, judges have issued temporary restraining orders that prevent enforcement of a policy, typically for 14 days, to allow for further proceedings.
    Melissa Quinn, CBS News, 22 Mar. 2025
  • McCall underwent a six-hour operation back in November to remove the 14mm benign cyst from her brain.
    Caroline Frost, Deadline, 22 Mar. 2025

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Condense.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/condense. Accessed 30 Mar. 2025.

More from Merriam-Webster on condense

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!