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compressed air

American

noun

air compressed, especially by mechanical means, to a pressure higher than the surrounding atmospheric pressure.

compressed air British

noun

air at a higher pressure than atmospheric pressure: used esp as a source of power for machines

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of compressed air

First recorded in 1660–70

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.

See Examples For:

compressed air

StarChase uses compressed air to launch a GPS tracker from a police vehicle onto a fleeing car.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 7, 2026

Vanguard also will include a floating structure on the surface of the water to transport compressed air, power the vessel, and allow for communication with the outside world.

From Barron's ● Oct. 29, 2025

"Another factor that comes into play is that we are powering this robot with compressed air," Qing says.

From Science Daily ● Dec. 4, 2024

Don’t use a hair dryer or compressed air on your phone.

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 29, 2024

Tiny gas jets allowed compressed air to squirt out under this base, causing it to rise a fraction of an inch off the surface, so that the machine floated on a cushion of air.

From "Flying to the Moon: An Astronaut's Story" by Michael Collins

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023