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

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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

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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

They are substantially smaller, allowing more compact designs.

From Science Daily ● Nov. 12, 2026

I think it’s up to us to define them in ways that reflect a social order and compact that we would want to bequeath to our children’s generation.

From Slate ● Nov. 9, 2026

It rests on an implicit compact: The public forgoes tax revenue in exchange for teaching and research that promote the general welfare.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 3, 2026

“It’s time to renew that compact while also recognizing the ecosystem needs to evolve,” he said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 29, 2026

She appeared compact and plump at the same time.

From "The Season of Styx Malone" by Kekla Magoon

"That is why country strategies and compacts matter. Roadmaps built around a country's ambitions, the results we are trying to achieve together, and the investments and reforms required to get there," he said.

From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026

Under such compacts, the U.S. partners are technically sovereign nations that rely on U.S. financial support and defense.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 7, 2026

“The social compacts that the people have sown in them are very ingrained.”

From Seattle Times ● May 28, 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 run my fingers across glass pots, opening and closing compacts as if I'm preparing, until Bree returns moments later.

From "The Belles" by Dhonielle Clayton

The scans produced detailed three dimensional images of the compacted material inside the tooth sockets without damaging either the fossils or the sediment.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 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

With the field compacted after the red flag that followed the second of two crashes at Antony Noghes, he served the penalty two laps after the restart and that dropped him out of the points.

From BBC ● Jun. 7, 2026

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

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 13, 2026

Emery always has the best advice, even when it's compacted into five minutes because that's all the spare time she has between classes.

From "Starfish" by Akemi Dawn Bowman

He has defended himself by saying his focus was on "social compacting", or building consensus.

From BBC ● May 31, 2024

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

The trick is to do some gentle prep without compacting the soil, which can damage emerging seedlings and reduce infiltration, making it more susceptible to runoff.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 12, 2023

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

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Related Words

• solid
• tight

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