compaction
Americannoun
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the act of compacting or the state of being compacted.
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Geology. the consolidation of sediments resulting from the weight of overlying deposits.
Etymology
Origin of compaction
1350–1400; Middle English compaccioun < Latin compāctiōn- (stem of compāctiō ) a joining, frame, equivalent to compāct ( us ) compact 1 + -iōn- -ion
Explanation
Compaction is what happens when something is crushed or compressed. In many places, garbage undergoes compaction after it's collected, so that it takes up less space. The process of making something more compact, or dense and very tightly packed together, is compaction. Geologists (scientists who study rocks and earth) might talk about the natural process of compaction, when sand or silt becomes denser and denser over time, as heavy material presses down on it. Computer scientists might instead think of data compaction, when data is simplified by removing information that's unnecessary or redundant.
Vocabulary lists containing compaction
Can You Dig It? Words for Dirt and Soil
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Earth Science - Middle School
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Rocks and Minerals - Introductory
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
For one, construction activities like excavation and soil compaction from heavy machinery can damage a tree’s critical root zone, preventing uptake of water and nutrients crucial for the plant’s survival.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 24, 2025
Boston should be on the rising end of that seesaw, but many areas of the city were built on soft soil prone to compaction.
From Seattle Times • Mar. 2, 2024
LSS is already widely used in construction sites, especially for filling long, narrow spaces where compaction by earthworks is challenging.
From Science Daily • Nov. 1, 2023
Cover crops can protect against erosion and soil compaction.
From Salon • Aug. 17, 2023
So we, if we are to advance, must gather ourselves together and put a point upon our lives by compaction and concentration of effort and energy on the one purpose.
From Expositions of Holy Scripture Second Corinthians, Galatians, and Philippians Chapters I to End. Colossians, Thessalonians, and First Timothy. by Maclaren, Alexander
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
