Definition of "compression" []

• The act or process of compressing. (noun)
• The state of being compressed. (noun)
• The process by which the working substance in a heat engine, such as the vapor mixture in the cylinder of an internal-combustion engine, is compressed. (noun)
• The engine cycle during which this process occurs. (noun)
• Computer Science The process by which data is compressed into a form that minimizes the space required to store or transmit it. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "It is what we call a compression astomosis ring, or CAR."
• "Aside from fixed dollar margins, margin compression in the face of a rising cost (worsening FX) could also lead to a non-linear outcome."
• "One of the fictional liberties I took with the story was a certain compression of timeframe."