Standard Lemma guide

condense

adj · verb · 11 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • /kənˈdɛns/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • rhymes with -ɛns
  • CMU ARPABET: K AH0 N D EH1 N S Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Condensed; compact; dense.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: archaic

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

verb

Meaning 2

To concentrate toward the essence by making more close, compact, or dense, thereby decreasing size or volume.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Examples

  • An abridged dictionary can be further condensed to pocket size.
  • Boiling off water condenses a thin sauce into a soupier mixture.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: thicken, simplify, reduce, astringe, compact, telescope, compactify, condense, densitize, pack, press, mash, scrunch, smush, squoosh, squash, squish, squeeze, thring, thrutch

Antonyms: dilute

3

verb

Meaning 3

To transform from a gaseous state into a liquid state via condensation.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: transitive

Topics: chemistry, natural-sciences, physical-sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

verb

Meaning 4

To be transformed from a gaseous state into a liquid state.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: intransitive

Topics: chemistry, natural-sciences, physical-sciences

Examples

  • Water condenses on the window on cold days because of the warm air inside.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

verb

Meaning 5

make more concise

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • condense the contents of a book into a summary

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: digest, concentrate

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: abridge, foreshorten, abbreviate, shorten, cut, contract, reduce

Narrower terms: encapsulate, capsule, capsulize, capsulise, telescope

6

verb

Meaning 6

undergo condensation; change from a gaseous to a liquid state and fall in drops

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • water condenses
  • The acid distills at a specific temperature

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: distill, distil

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: liquefy, flux, liquify

7

verb

Meaning 7

compress or concentrate

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • Congress condensed the three-year plan into a six-month plan

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: concentrate, contract

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: change, alter, modify

8

verb

Meaning 8

develop due to condensation

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • All our planets condensed out of the same material

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: arise, come up

9

verb

Meaning 9

become more compact or concentrated

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • Her feelings condensed

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: intensify, deepen

10

verb

Meaning 10

cause a gas or vapor to change into a liquid

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • The cold air condensed the steam

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: change integrity

11

verb

Meaning 11

remove water from

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • condense the milk

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: remove, take, take away, withdraw

History

Etymology

Borrowed from Middle French condenser, from Latin condēnsō.

Across languages

Translations

67 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: сгъстя́вам (sgǎstjávam) — to concentrate toward the essence
  • Bulgarian: концентрирам (koncentriram) — to concentrate toward the essence
  • Catalan: condensar — to concentrate toward the essence
  • Dutch: verdichten — to concentrate toward the essence
  • Finnish: tiivistää — to concentrate toward the essence
  • French: condenser — to concentrate toward the essence
  • Galician: condensar — to concentrate toward the essence
  • German: kondensieren — to concentrate toward the essence
  • German: verkleinern — to concentrate toward the essence
  • Greek: συμπυκνώνω (sympyknóno) — to concentrate toward the essence
  • Irish: giorraigh — to concentrate toward the essence
  • Italian: condensare — to concentrate toward the essence
  • Japanese: 濃縮する (nōshuku suru) — to concentrate toward the essence
  • Japanese: 凝縮する (gyōshuku suru) — to concentrate toward the essence
  • Latin: condēnsō — to concentrate toward the essence
  • Russian: сгуща́ть (sguščátʹ) — to concentrate toward the essence
  • Russian: сгусти́ть (sgustítʹ) — to concentrate toward the essence
  • Spanish: condensar — to concentrate toward the essence
  • Turkish: yoğuşmak — to concentrate toward the essence
  • Ukrainian: конденсува́ти (kondensuváty) — to concentrate toward the essence
  • Ukrainian: згу́щувати (zhúščuvaty) — to concentrate toward the essence
  • Ukrainian: згуща́ти (zhuščáty) — to concentrate toward the essence
  • Ukrainian: згусти́ти (zhustýty) — to concentrate toward the essence
  • Bulgarian: втечнявам (vtečnjavam) — to transform from a gaseous state into a liquid state
  • Catalan: condensar — to transform from a gaseous state into a liquid state
  • Dutch: condenseren — to transform from a gaseous state into a liquid state
  • Dutch: neerslaan — to transform from a gaseous state into a liquid state
  • Finnish: tiivistää — to transform from a gaseous state into a liquid state
  • Finnish: kondensoida — to transform from a gaseous state into a liquid state
  • French: condenser — to transform from a gaseous state into a liquid state
  • Galician: condensar — to transform from a gaseous state into a liquid state
  • German: kondensieren — to transform from a gaseous state into a liquid state
  • Interlingua: condensar — to transform from a gaseous state into a liquid state
  • Irish: comhdhlúthaigh — to transform from a gaseous state into a liquid state
  • Italian: condensare — to transform from a gaseous state into a liquid state
  • Japanese: 液化する (ekika suru) — to transform from a gaseous state into a liquid state
  • Portuguese: condensar — to transform from a gaseous state into a liquid state
  • Romanian: condensa — to transform from a gaseous state into a liquid state
  • Russian: конденси́ровать (kondensírovatʹ) — to transform from a gaseous state into a liquid state
  • Spanish: condensar — to transform from a gaseous state into a liquid state
  • Swedish: kondensera — to transform from a gaseous state into a liquid state
  • Tagalog: kintayin — to transform from a gaseous state into a liquid state
  • Tagalog: kumintay — to transform from a gaseous state into a liquid state
  • Thai: ควบแน่น (kûuap-nɛ̂n) — to transform from a gaseous state into a liquid state
  • Ukrainian: конденсува́ти (kondensuváty) — to transform from a gaseous state into a liquid state
  • Bulgarian: втечнявам се (vtečnjavam se) — to be transformed from a gaseous state into a liquid state
  • Catalan: condensar-se — to be transformed from a gaseous state into a liquid state
  • Dutch: condenseren — to be transformed from a gaseous state into a liquid state
  • Dutch: neerslaan — to be transformed from a gaseous state into a liquid state
  • Finnish: tiivistyä — to be transformed from a gaseous state into a liquid state
  • Finnish: kondensoitua — to be transformed from a gaseous state into a liquid state
  • French: se condenser — to be transformed from a gaseous state into a liquid state
  • Galician: condensarse — to be transformed from a gaseous state into a liquid state
  • German: kondensieren — to be transformed from a gaseous state into a liquid state
  • Icelandic: þétta — to be transformed from a gaseous state into a liquid state
  • Interlingua: condensar — to be transformed from a gaseous state into a liquid state
  • Irish: comhdhlúthaigh — to be transformed from a gaseous state into a liquid state
  • Italian: condensarsi — to be transformed from a gaseous state into a liquid state
  • Japanese: 液化する (ekika suru) — to be transformed from a gaseous state into a liquid state
  • Māori: whakatōtā — to be transformed from a gaseous state into a liquid state
  • Portuguese: condensar-se — to be transformed from a gaseous state into a liquid state
  • Russian: конденси́роваться (kondensírovatʹsja) — to be transformed from a gaseous state into a liquid state
  • Spanish: condensarse — to be transformed from a gaseous state into a liquid state
  • Swedish: kondensera — to be transformed from a gaseous state into a liquid state
  • Tagalog: kintayin — to be transformed from a gaseous state into a liquid state
  • Thai: ควบแน่น (kûuap-nɛ̂n) — to be transformed from a gaseous state into a liquid state
  • Ukrainian: конденсува́тися (kondensuvátysja) — to be transformed from a gaseous state into a liquid state