Real Dictionary

compress
verb: If you compress something such as a piece of writing or a description, you make it shorter.
verb: When you compress something or when it compresses, it is pressed or squeezed so that it takes up less space.

compress in American English
a pad of folded cloth, sometimes medicated or moistened, for applying pressure, heat, cold, etc. to some part of the body
to press together; make more compact by or as by pressure
noun: a soft, cloth pad held in place by a bandage and used to provide pressure or to supply moisture, cold, heat, or medication
transitive verb: to press together; force into less space

compress in British English
noun: a wet or dry cloth or gauze pad with or without medication, applied firmly to some part of the body to relieve discomfort, reduce fever, drain a wound, etc
verb: to squeeze together or compact into less space; condense

compress in the Pharmaceutical Industry
noun: A compress is a soft pad of gauze or other material applied with pressure to a part of the body to control hemorrhage or to supply heat, cold, moisture, or medication to alleviate pain or reduce infection.