Compressive or squeezing. Shearing or sliding. Tensile stress is what happens when you pull or stretch a piece of material. For example, the ropes of a swing tie the seat to the branch of a tree or a framework, and are in tension as the stress in them is tensile stress. Again, the cables of a suspension bridge are clearly in tension, like the rigging of a yacht.
Compressive stress is due to the squeezing action of a load.
When you stand up your legs are in compression. There is compressive stress in struts , columns , piers supporting roadways, and the air inside the tires of a car or cycle. A simple bridge can be made by spanning a gap with planks. As the gap becomes wider, however, the planks will begin to sag excessively even under the weight of a person. If the bridge is longer still, the planks may break.