List of 426 Sets of Synonyms - How they Differ - Total of 2307 Words - 87

SYNONYMS: contract, condense, compress, constrict, shrink.
These verbs mean to decrease in size or content.

To contract is to draw together, especially by an internal force, with a resultant reduction in size, extent, or volume: The bodybuilders contracted their biceps in unison. The pupil of the eye dilates and contracts in response to light.
Condense refers to a reduction in volume and an increase in compactness: To produce snow requires both heat and cold; the first to evaporate, the second to condense. The chairman condensed all the suggestions put forward into a single plan of action.
Compress applies to increased compactness brought about by pressing or squeezing; the term implies reduction in volume and change of form or shape: compress dough into a circle with a rolling pin; sat on the lid of the suitcase to compress the clothes; trying to compress my thoughts into a few words.
To constrict is to make smaller or narrower, usually by binding or compression: An accumulation of silt constricted the entrance to the harbor. Tight shoes constrict the feet.
Shrink refers to contraction that produces reduction in length, size, volume, or extent: Wool jersey should be shrunk before being cut and stitched. Many once prosperous northern mill towns have shrunk as industry has moved to the South. His capital shrank as his business foundered.