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.
South Kesteven District Council said the tree in Manthorpe, near Grantham, had suffered significant soil compaction, with ropes being hung from its branches for children to play.
From BBC ● Aug. 17, 2026
The charity added compaction made it harder for rainwater to penetrate the soil and for the tree's root system to take in the oxygen and nutrients it needed.
From BBC ● Jun. 17, 2026
They also discovered that these loops appear to form as a result of the genome compaction that occurs during mitosis.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 24, 2025
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
Where soil is airless due to compaction, poor drainage, or large proportions of very fine clay, soil animals are few in number.
From Organic Gardener's Composting by Steve Solomon
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.
