Meaning

(transitive) To relieve the pressure or compression on something..

Definitions by Sense

1. (transitive) To relieve the pressure or compression on something.
2. (transitive) To bring someone (such as a diver) back to normal atmospheric pressure after being exposed to high pressure.
3. (transitive, computing) To restore (compressed data) to its original form.
4. (intransitive) To adjust to normal atmospheric pressure after being exposed to high pressure.
5. (intransitive, informal) To relax.

Example Sentences

The bad news is we got eight hours in this can blowin' down… And the worse news is, it's gonna take us three weeks to decompress later.

There was a typical reef construction here with large plating corals at deeper depths. Thankfully, again there were many new corals. We decompressed for several minutes before boarding. Then Mike really got sick. He skipped the next dive.

[T]he idea began before lockdown, when he went on holiday to Thailand to decompress from the pressures of life in the music industry.

What does his wife, music teacher Caroline, think about his retiring to a quiet life in Wantage? "I think she's a bit dewy-eyed. She thinks it's going to be nice to spend more time with me. I have to take time to decompress from a job like this for so long, but coming from that to doing nothing would be very unhealthy."

Word Forms

• decompresses
• decompressing
• decompressed

Synonyms for decompress

Antonyms for decompress

Related Words

When Should You Use Decompress?

Use decompress when its meaning, tone and grammar fit the full sentence. A synonym is not always a direct replacement.

Practice This Word

Frequently Asked Questions