verb

komprimieren

compress

Etwas so verändern, dass es weniger Platz braucht, zum Beispiel eine Datei verkleinern oder Luft zusammenpressen.

Definition & meaning

Komprimieren means to compress or to condense. Its meaning depends on context:

To press or squeeze something into a smaller space: for example, compressing air or a material.
To reduce the size of digital data: for example, compressing a file so it takes up less storage space.
To make information more concise: to express the same content in fewer words.

Grammar & word origin

Komprimieren is a regular German verb. Its principal forms are komprimierte (simple past) and hat komprimiert (present perfect). It is not a separable verb.

The word comes from Latin comprimere, meaning “to press together.” The related German noun is die Kompression ().

Synonyms & antonyms

Synonyms include:

verdichten () — to make something denser or more concentrated; often used for materials, gases, or information.
zusammenpressen () — to press something together physically; more specifically emphasizes applying pressure.
verkleinern () — to make something smaller; broader than komprimieren and does not necessarily imply compression.

Depending on context, antonyms include:

dekomprimieren () — to reverse compression, especially for data.
entpacken () — to extract files from an archive; commonly used when undoing file compression.
expandieren () — to expand or increase in volume, the opposite of physical compression.