compressed air

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noun

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

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His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of compressed air

First recorded in 1660–70

Words nearby compressed air

comprehension, comprehensive, comprehensive school, compress, compressed, compressed air, compressed speech, compressibility, compression, compression ignition, compression-ignition engine

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use compressed air in a sentence

It involved inserting melted plastic into a mold and pumping compressed air into it, creating an air-filled bubble inside.
Accidental Genius: 10 Surprising Inventions|Emma Foster|July 30, 2021|Ozy
Two zones of compressed air make sure temps don’t fluctuate, which keeps your collection safe, even if you’re storing for a long time.
Best wine chiller: Keep your vino at the perfect temp every time|Irena Collaku|July 22, 2021|Popular-Science
If you’re worried about grime trapped between your keys, you can use a can of compressed air to push dust out of difficult areas.
Best wireless keyboard: Your next typing companion|PopSci Commerce Team|March 17, 2021|Popular-Science
OSIRIS-REx came up with a pogo stick-like “touch and go” collection system that brought the spacecraft down for a few-second hop off Bennu and used compressed air to waft small rubble into the collection container.
We’re living in a golden age of sample return missions|Neel Patel|February 2, 2021|MIT Technology Review

Hot compressed air “bled” from the engines goes through these packs to cool it before it flows on into the cabin.
The Exemplary Plane at the Heart of the MH370 Mystery|Clive Irving|March 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
A white burst of compressed air shoots out and knocks him down.
Smoked Fish Surrealism: Ben Katchor’s Comics of NYC Neurotics|Jacob Siegel|March 16, 2013|DAILY BEAST
Whether the drills are worked by compressed air, or by hand in the old-fashioned way, the effect is the same.
Asbestos|Robert H. Jones
I got a can of compressed air and blew out the dust that the fan had sucked in and looked things over.
Little Brother|Cory Doctorow
Torpedoes are discharged from what are called “torpedo tubes” by means of compressed air.
How Britannia Came to Rule the Waves|W.H.G. Kingston
If you use compressed air, be sure the pressure is not high as it may damage wiring inside the motor.
Electricity for the 4-H Scientist|Eric B. Wilson
A stuffing box is also used on a pump piston sometimes, or a compressed air piston.
Farm Engines and How to Run Them|James H. Stephenson

British Dictionary definitions for compressed air

compressed air

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