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.
During the inquest, Suffolk Coroner's Court heard that 30 tonnes of force was exerted during each compaction cycle in the back of a bin lorry and so the chances of someone surviving were "slim".
From BBC ● Sep. 24, 2026
“For example, compaction summaries included instructions to invent missing historical data without disclosing it and to hide mismatches in source versions,” wrote OpenAI.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 17, 2026
The factors that wear down a pipe’s structural integrity include soil compaction and water table variables, Soibelman said.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 25, 2026
For many years, researchers did not know how this extra level of chromatin compaction occurred.
From Science Daily ● Dec. 8, 2025
Under the snow conditions in our study area, we found that the same type of compaction gauge generally penetrated to a depth within a half inch of that to which deer were sinking.
From Ecological Studies of the Timber Wolf in Northeastern Minnesota by L. D. Frenzel
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.
