Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular presenttense compacts, present participle compacting, past tense, past participle compactedpronunciation note: The adjective and verb are pronounced (kəmpækt). The noun is pronounced (kɒmpækt).
1. adjective [usually ADJECTIVE noun]
Compact things are small or take up very little space. You use this word when you think this is a good quality.
[approval]
...my compact office in Washington.
...the new, more compact Czech government.
compactnessuncountable noun
The very compactness of the cottage made it all the more snug and appealing. [+ of]
2. adjective
A compact person is small but strong.
He was compact, probably no taller than me.
He looked physically very powerful, athletic in a compact way.
3. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
A compact cassette, camera, or car is a small type of cassette, camera, or car.
4. verb
To compact something means to press it so that it becomes more solid.
[formal]
The Smith boy was compacting the trash. [VERB noun]
The soil settles and is compacted by the winter rain. [beVERB-ed + by]
Synonyms: pack closely, stuff, cram, compress More Synonyms of compact
compactedgraded adjective
...a pile of compacted earth.
compaction (kəmpækʃən)uncountable noun
Regular forking of beds and borders relieves the compaction caused by rain.
5. countable noun
A compact is a small, flat case that contains face powder and a mirror.
Synonyms: agreement, deal [informal], understanding, contract More Synonyms of compact
More Synonyms of compact
compact in British English1
adjective (kəmˈpækt, ˈkɒmpækt)
1.
closely packed together; dense
2.
neatly fitted into a restricted space
3.
concise; brief
4.
well constructed; solid; firm
5. (foll by of)
composed or made up (of)
6.
denoting a tabloid-sized version of a newspaper that has traditionally been published in broadsheet form
7. logic
(of a relation) having the property that for any pair of elements such that a is related to b, there is some element c such that a is related to c and c to b, as less than on the rational numbers
8. US and Canadian
(of a car) small and economical
verb (kəmˈpækt)(transitive)
9.
to pack or join closely together; compress; condense
10. (foll by of)
to create or form by pressing together
sediment compacted of three types of clay
11. metallurgy
to compress (a metal powder) to form a stable product suitable for sintering
noun (ˈkɒmpækt)
12.
a small flat case containing a mirror, face powder, etc, designed to be carried in a woman's handbag
13. US and Canadian
a comparatively small and economical car
14. metallurgy
a mass of metal prepared for sintering by cold-pressing a metal powder
15.
a tabloid-sized version of a newspaper that has traditionally been published in broadsheetform
Derived forms
compacter (comˈpacter)
noun
compaction (comˈpaction)
noun
compactly (comˈpactly)
adverb
compactness (comˈpactness)
noun
Word origin
C16: from Latin compactus, from compingere to put together, from com- together + pangere to fasten
compact in British English2
(ˈkɒmpækt)
noun
an official contract or agreement
Word origin
C16: from Latin compactum, from compaciscī to agree, from com- together + paciscī to contract; see pact
compact in American English
(kəmˈpækt; ˈkɑmˌpækt; for n., always ˈkɑmˌpækt)
adjective
1.
closely and firmly packed or put together; dense; solid
2.
taking little space; arranged neatly in a small space
3.
not diffuse or wordy; terse
4. Archaic
made up or composed (of)
5. US
designating or of a relatively small, light, economical model of automobile
verb transitive
6.
to pack or join firmly together
7.
to make by joining or putting together
8.
to make more dense; compress; condense
noun
9.
a small cosmetic case, usually containing face powder and mirror
10. US
a compact automobile
11.
an agreement between two or more individuals, states, etc.; covenant
SIMILAR WORDS: close
Derived forms
compactly (comˈpactly)
adverb
compactness (comˈpactness)
noun
Word origin
ME < L compactus, concentrated, pp. of compingere, to fasten together < com-, with, together + pangere, to fix, fasten: see peace; (sense 11) < L pp. of compacisci, to agree together < same base as compingere
A compact is a porous solid that is made by pressing a powder.
A slowly increasing force is exerted on the powder compact and the point at which failure occurs determines the tensile strength.
Metal powders may be pressed into compacts using a number of different techniques.
A compact is a porous solid that is made by pressing a powder.
compaction
Examples of 'compact' in a sentence
compact
The record album has been replaced by the compact disc.
Al Ries and Laura Ries THE 22 IMMUTABLE LAWS OF BRANDING (2002)
We must keep our feet on the ground and stay solid and compact as a team.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
Do not compact the soil too much.
Bloom, Adrian Winter Garden Glory (1993)
The crème blush comes in a handy compact with mirror.
Times, Sunday Times (2011)
This is a compact car that gets you noticed.
The Sun (2011)
The cheapest way to save electricity is to swap your incandescent bulbs for compact fluorescent ones.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
The compact disc is suffering a lingering death.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
It comes in a gorgeous gold and mirrored compact.
The Sun (2013)
Thanks to our good friend the compact disc.
Times, Sunday Times (2008)
Anything that comes in a solid compact has a heavier consistency and will block sweat from leaving the skin.
The Sun (2016)
She also loves her compact flat.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
We are very solid and compact.
Times, Sunday Times (2016)
You can't do this memory justice on a compact camera.
Times, Sunday Times (2014)
They small and compact, but if you swing them about enough you will quickly tone up.
The Sun (2016)
This way, you will not have to walk on the soil and compact it.
Times, Sunday Times (2010)
If your garden is small, choose compact varieties.
The Sun (2010)
Countries will have to use energy-efficient compact fluorescent lamps instead.
The Sun (2009)
The easiest way to do this is to use a compact container that you can keep on a windowsill or tucked against a wall.
The Sun (2012)
THIS is a compact security camera you can position and connect to your home broadband network.
The Sun (2013)
Take a blusher or bronzer with a small mirror inside so you don't have to worry about packing a compact.
The Sun (2014)
They also glance at other people's sunglasses to see how they look and use compact mirrors up to ten times daily.
The Sun (2012)
Two: think of make-up and you either imagine a lipstick or a powder compact.
Times, Sunday Times (2015)
But if it gets heavy use you will flatten and compact the soil in a ring around the tree, which is not good for it.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
The flats are compact but, unlike shared ownership or equity schemes, you buy the whole flat outright with just one loan.
Times, Sunday Times (2009)
In other languages
compact
British English: compact /ˌkəmˈpækt/ ADJECTIVE
Something that is compact is small or takes up very little space.
...a compact camera.
American English: compact
Arabic: مَضْغُوط
Brazilian Portuguese: compacto
Chinese: 紧凑的
Croatian: kompaktan
Czech: kompaktní
Danish: kompakt
Dutch: compact
European Spanish: compacto
Finnish: tiivis
French: compact
German: kompakt
Greek: συμπιεσμένος
Italian: compatto
Japanese: ぎっしり詰まった
Korean: 빽빽하게 찬
Norwegian: kompakt
Polish: kompaktowy
European Portuguese: compacto
Romanian: compact
Russian: компактный
Latin American Spanish: compacto
Swedish: kompakt
Thai: กระชับ
Turkish: derli toplu
Ukrainian: компактний
Vietnamese: kết chặt
British English: compact NOUN
A compact is a small, flat case that contains face powder and a mirror.
American English: compact
Brazilian Portuguese: estojo
Chinese: 小型汽车
European Spanish: polvera
French: poudrier
German: Puderdose
Italian: portacipria
Japanese: コンパクト
Korean: 휴대용 화장품 콤팩트
European Portuguese: estojo
Latin American Spanish: polvera
All related terms of 'compact'
compact disc
Compact discs are small shiny discs that contain music or computer information . The abbreviation → CD is also used.
compact size
The size of something is how big or small it is. Something's size is determined by comparing it to other things, counting it, or measuring it.
compact camera
a simple 35 mm snapshot camera not having interchangeable lenses or through-the-lens focusing but sometimes having automatic focusing, exposure , and winding
Family Compact
any influential clique
powder compact
closely packed together; dense
compact audio disc
a small digital audio disc on which sound is recorded as a series of metallic pits enclosed in PVC; the disc is spun by the compact disc player and read by an optical laser system
compact-disc video
a compact-disc player that, when connected to a television and hi-fi , produces high-quality stereo sound and synchronized pictures from a disc resembling a large compact audio disc
compact video disc
a compact laser disc that plays both pictures and sound
the Family Compact
the ruling oligarchy in Upper Canada in the early 19th century
compact disc erasable
compact disc erasable: a compact disc that can be used to record and rerecord
compact disc player
a machine for playing compact discs
compact disc recordable
compact disc recordable: a compact disc that can be used to record only once
compact fluorescent lamp
A compact fluorescent lamp is a small fluorescent lamp (= a tubular light bulb coated with phosphor which produces a bright light) that has a lamp life that is much longer than incandescent lamps.
digital compact cassette
a magnetic tape cassette on which sound can be recorded in a digital format
social contract
(in the theories of Locke , Hobbes , Rousseau , and others) an agreement , entered into by individuals, that results in the formation of the state or of organized society, the prime motive being the desire for protection , which entails the surrender of some or all personal liberties
DCC
digital compact cassette
PDC bit
A PDC bit is a drill bit fitted with industrial diamond cutters instead of hardened metal teeth.
CD-video
a compact-disc player that, when connected to a television and hi-fi , produces high-quality stereo sound and synchronized pictures from a disc resembling a large compact audio disc
CD player
A CD player is a machine on which you can play CDs.
Chinese translation of 'compact'
compact
(adjvbkəmˈpækt; nˈkɔmpækt)
adj
[camera, cassette, car]袖珍的 (xiùzhēn de)
[size, design, shape]小巧的 (xiǎoqiǎo de)
vt
将(將) ... 压(壓)紧(緊)在一起 (jiāng ... yājǐn zài yīqǐ)
n(c)
(also powder compact) 粉盒 (fěnhé) (个(個), gè)
All related terms of 'compact'
compact disc
激光唱片 jīguāng chàngpiàn [ 张(張) zhāng ] [ 美 = also compact disk ]
compact disc player
激光唱机(機) jīguāng chàngjī [ 个(個) gè ] [ 美 = also compact disk player ]