compact

¹ American  

[kuhm-pakt, kom-, kom-pakt, kuhm-pakt, kom-pakt] / kəmˈpækt, kɒm-, ˈkɒm pækt, kəmˈpækt, ˈkɒm pækt /

adjective

1. joined or packed together; closely and firmly united; dense; solid.

   compact soil.

2. arranged within a relatively small space.

   a compact shopping center;

   a compact kitchen.

   Synonyms:

   snug, small

3. designed to be small in size and economical in operation.

4. solidly or firmly built.

   the compact body of a lightweight wrestler.

5. expressed concisely; pithy; terse; not diffuse.

   a compact review of the week's news.

   Synonyms:

   brief, succinct, concise

6. composed or made (usually followed byof ).

   a book compact of form and content.

7. Mathematics. Also (of a set) having the property that in any collection of open sets whose union contains the given set there exists a finite number of open sets whose union contains the given set; having the property that every open cover has a finite subcover.

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verb (used with object)

• compacts,
  present (3rd person singular)
• compacted,
  past participle,  past
• compacting
  present participle

1. to join or pack closely together; consolidate; condense.

   Synonyms:

   compress

2. to make firm or stable.

   Synonyms:

   solidify, stabilize

3. to form or make by close union or conjunction; make up or compose.

4. Metallurgy. to compress (metallic or metallic and nonmetallic powders) in a die to be sintered.

5. to crush into compact form for convenient disposal or for storage until disposal.

   to compact rubbish.

noun

1. a small case containing a mirror, face powder, a puff, and sometimes rouge.

2. Also called compact car. an automobile that is smaller than an intermediate but larger than a subcompact and generally has a combined passenger and luggage volume of 100–110 cu. ft. (2.8–3.1 m3 ).

3. Metallurgy. (in powder metallurgy) an object to be sintered formed of metallic or of metallic and nonmetallic powders compressed in a die.

compact ² American  

[kom-pakt] / ˈkɒm pækt /

noun

1. a formal agreement between two or more parties, states, etc.; contract.

   the proposed economic compact between Germany and France.

   Synonyms:

   concordat, convention, entente, pact, treaty

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compact ¹ British  

adjective

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. (of a car) small and economical

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verb

1. to pack or join closely together; compress; condense

2. (foll by of) to create or form by pressing together

   sediment compacted of three types of clay

3. metallurgy to compress (a metal powder) to form a stable product suitable for sintering

noun

1. a small flat case containing a mirror, face powder, etc, designed to be carried in a woman's handbag

2. a comparatively small and economical car

3. metallurgy a mass of metal prepared for sintering by cold-pressing a metal powder

4. a tabloid-sized version of a newspaper that has traditionally been publis hed in broadsheet form

compact ² British  

/ ˈkɒmpækt /

noun

1. an official contract or agreement

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Synonym Usage

See agreement.

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• compactedness
  noun
• compacter
  noun
• compaction
  noun
• compactness
  noun
• uncompacted
  adjective
• well-compacted
  adjective
• compactedly
  adverb
• compactly
  adverb

Inflected Forms

Participles

• compacting
  present
• compacted
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• compact
  simple
• compacts
  simple
• have compacted
  perfect
• has compacted
  perfect
• am compacting
  progressive
• are compacting
  progressive
• is compacting
  progressive
• have been compacting
  perfect progressive
• has been compacting
  perfect progressive

Past

• compacted
  simple
• had compacted
  perfect
• was compacting
  progressive
• were compacting
  progressive
• had been compacting
  perfect progressive

Future

• will compact
  simple
• will have compacted
  perfect
• will be compacting
  progressive
• will have been compacting
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of compact¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English, from Latin compāctus (past participle of compingere “to shut away, put away, bind together”), equivalent to com- prefix + pag-, stem of pangere “to fix, arrange” + -tus past participle suffix; see com-; cf. peace; pact, compact ² )

Origin of compact²

First recorded in 1550–60; from Latin compactum, compectum, noun use of neuter of compactus (past participle of compacīscī “to make an agreement”), equivalent to com- prefix + pac- (stem of pacīscī “to secure by negotiation” + -tus past participle ending); see com-; cf. compact ¹, pact, peace

Explanation

A compact is a signed written agreement that binds you to do what you've promised. It also refers to something small or closely grouped together, like the row of compact rental cars you see when you wanted a van. As a verb, compact means "to compress or squeeze together," like how the garbage truck compacts your bags of trash. Compact, the adjective, describes something that is tightly packed together, like your luggage that is so compact it fits in the overhead compartment. Compact can also describe a brief summary, like a compact explanation of how the universe began that lasted only 10 minutes!

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

compact compacts compacted compacting

The team also intends to develop on-chip photonic quantum circuits capable of performing entangled measurements, potentially making the technology more compact and easier to integrate into future quantum systems.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 29, 2026

Technical limitations also made it hard to convert its compact film cameras to the new tech.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026

Its setup evolved from more than 100 bands across 28 porchesto a more compact, walkable format in 2022.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 24, 2026

An energy firm facing backlash over plans for new power lines has unveiled what it has described as a "slim and compact" pylon, designed "with the Welsh landscape in mind".

From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026

Because of the way the light came through the boathouse, he was a silhouette, but I knew the compact, lean body and the way he held his muscular shoulders back.

From "Red Kayak" by Priscilla Cummings

Congress established the Indian Gaming Regulatory Act and tribal-state compacts to protect this sovereign framework.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026

By design, the details of how "freedom cities" would be established are laden with legalese like "federal enclaves with special economic and jurisdictional zones" or "interstate compacts."

From Salon ● Mar. 17, 2025

For years, American drivers have been gravitating toward sport utility vehicles and away from sedans, compacts and hatchbacks.

From New York Times ● May 8, 2024

Chida was the chief architect of five-year compacts with the University of California and California State University, pledging financial stability in exchange for gains in graduation rates, access and affordability.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 14, 2024

I did not understand the nonimportation compacts which my countrymen in their anger had raised against English products.

From "The Astonishing Life of Octavian Nothing, Traitor to the Nation, Volume I: The Pox Party" by M.T. Anderson

After the player made contact with the refuse company, the bin lorry was located before its contents were compacted for disposal.

From BBC ● Aug. 5, 2026

Even the design of farm machinery was considered — and tractors were fitted with wider tires to ensure that soil was less compacted when driven over.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026

Firn is partially compacted granular snow found near the upper portions of glaciers.

From Science Daily ● Jun. 12, 2026

On Thursday, mangled metal screeched as an excavator compacted the skeletons of former homes.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 13, 2026

After walking on the dusty, compacted gravel floor of the midway for the last three hours, they feel like they’re two sizes bigger than they actually are.

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam

“While compacting the concrete aggregate base in advance of final street resurfacing, water began to pool at the surface toward the eastern edge of the work area,” the utility said in a news release.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026

And because the ice is stable, the thick annual layers can accumulate for centuries, compacting into ice.

From Science Magazine ● Apr. 18, 2024

Deep in Antarctica’s frigid interior, fluffy, air-filled snow accumulates layer by layer, compacting into slabs of ice over millennia.

From Scientific American ● Feb. 9, 2023

Earlier this year, crews finished backfilling and compacting the area around the K East reactor with about 34,000 cubic yards of sand and gravel to level the site.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 28, 2022

After picking for two long hours, Roberto helped Mama make more room in her sack by lifting it upright and shaking it several times up and down, compacting the cotton to the bottom.

From "The Circuit: Stories from the Life of a Migrant Child" by Francisco Jiménez

Related Words

• solid
• tight