compactcom‧pact1 /kəmˈpækt, ˈkɒmpækt $ kəmˈpækt/ ●●○ adjective 
Word Origin
The compact design of the machine allows it to be stored easily. The students’ rooms were compact, with a desk, bed, and closet built in.► see thesaurus at small2packed or put together firmly and closely: The bushes grew in a compact mass.3small, but solid and strong: a short compact-looking man—compactly adverb—compactness noun [uncountable]
Word OriginWORD ORIGINcompact1
ExamplesOrigin:
1300-1400 Latin compactus, past participle of compingere ‘to put together’, from com- ( ➔ COM-) + pangere ‘to fasten’EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
Thesaurus- a compact car
- Look for plants with healthy leaves and a compact shape.
- The apartment was ideal for the two of us - small but compact.
- The dormitory rooms are very compact, with a desk, bed, and closet built in.
- The PowerShot is a compact unit that weighs less than 11 ounces and fits easily in your pocket.
- There is a compact dining area, which feels cozy rather than cramped.
- I feel certain the purpose of the slimness stems from the natural instinct to shoal in a compact body.
- It made compact discs easier to display.
- It packs all its power into a compact, low-profile configuration - occupying 30% less desk space than comparable 486 systems.
- It was similar to an indoor meeting because the stadium is compact, with the crowd close to all the action.
- Official sketches show a small warren of rooms, lit by artificial lights and stuffed with compact biological systems.
- Plus the most significant restyling since the Cherokee debuted as a compact sport utility vehicle in 1984.
- The compact circuit, purpose-built with the betting shop service in mind, has surprised owners Ladbrokes with its robust evening trade.
- The Federals, on the other hand, could look forward to operating on compact interior lines of communication.
THESAURUS► small
Collocations not large in size, amount, or effect: · a small boat· small businesses· a small amount of money· small changes
► little [usually before noun] small – used about objects, places, and living things. Used especially with other adjectives to show how you feel about someone or something: · It’s a very pretty little town.· The poor little dog has hurt its leg.· The cake was decorated with little flowers.
► low used about prices, rents, levels, or standards: · People on low incomes are finding it difficult to pay fuel bills.· The crime rate in the area is relatively low.
► slight [usually before noun] small and not very important or not very noticeable: · a slight problem· There’s been a slight improvement in his health.· a slight increase in sales
► minor small and not important or not serious: · minor injuries· We’ve made some minor changes to the program.
► compact small – used about places, buildings etc in which space is used effectively, or about phones, cameras, cars etc which are designed to be much smaller than usual: · The apartments are very compact.· a compact camera· It is a pleasant and compact city.
► poky especially British English used about a room, house etc that is too small: · a poky bedroom· a poky flat
► cramped used about a space, room, or vehicle that is too small because people do not have enough room to move around: · They all lived together in a cramped apartment.· The car feels cramped with four adults in it.
Longman Language Activatorsmall in size► small · His office was a small room at the top of the building.· Which is the smallest state in the US?· Mrs Newman was small and slightly plump, with a round face.· People are buying smaller cars because they are cheaper to run.· These shoes are too small for me.
► little small - use this especially to show how you feel about someone or something, for example to show that you like them, dislike them, or feel sorry for them: · It's just a little souvenir I brought back from Italy· What an annoying little boy!· Oh, the poor little thing, he's hurt his paw.· What a lovely little dog!· They bought a nice little house near the beach.
► compact a house, room etc that is compact is small but comfortable and convenient, because the space has been used effectively; a compact camera, computer etc is designed to be small and easy to carry: · The apartment was ideal for the two of us - small but compact.· There is a compact dining area, which feels cozy rather than cramped.· The PowerShot is a compact unit that weighs less than 11 ounces and fits easily in your pocket.
► pocket: pocket calculator/torch/camera etc one that is small and that you can carry easily, for example in your pocket or bag: · Students are allowed to take pocket calculators into their exams.· She took a pocket mirror out of her handbag and put on some lipstick.· a pocket dictionary
► dainty an object that is dainty is small and delicate in an attractive way: · We drank Turkish coffee out of dainty china cups.· She was wearing a short black dress and dainty black sandals.
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES► a compact camera
1small, but arranged so that everything fits neatly into the space available – used to show approval: (=a small, simple camera that uses film)· There are some very good compact cameras around.
COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSNOUN► camera· Verdict: The only compact camera for the underwater enthusiast.· If you venture out in all weathers, you need a compact camera that can brave the elements, too.· Watch out for smaller compact cameras.
► car· For example, a compact car in Salt Lake City is $ 209 weekly.
► disc· We've fitted a compact disc player and protected it with a new security system.· Seldom has so much been placed on the shoulders of a single compact disc.· Read in studio Now, imagine being able to show a feature film on your television from an ordinary compact disc player.· Of the nine works on this compact disc, only five were composed for trombone.· To aggravate all this further, the records all sound as though they were designed to be played on compact disc.· So you buy a compact disc containing scores of bird songs.· And a compact disc changer is available, dealer installed, for $ 650.
► discs· The company, which makes compact discs, wants to start making cassettes.· Soon, the building will be packed to its arched roof with compact discs and cassettes.· The first compact discs carried digitally encoded high fidelity music.· It was that rectangular piece of cardboard that musical compact discs used to come in.· Can an expert tell the difference between top price and budget compact discs?· It made compact discs easier to display.· Modern mass-produced media such as cassettes or compact discs could never be marketed if each one had to carry a stamp.
► disk· Some predict that eventually everyone will carry all the sequences of his genes on a compact disk.· A compact disk player, rare for its day, fed Chopin and the Rolling Stones into fierce-looking, six-foot MartinLogan speakers.· It enables moving pictures as well as text and graphics to be stored on compact disks.· One listed his music cassettes, the second his compact disks.· It uses a Wavelet algorithm for video compression and provides compact disk quality audio and broadcast quality video.
The compact design of the machine allows it to be stored easily. The students’ rooms were compact, with a desk, bed, and closet built in.► see thesaurus at small2packed or put together firmly and closely: The bushes grew in a compact mass.3small, but solid and strong: a short compact-looking man—compactly adverb—compactness noun [uncountable]