compressor

American  

[kuhm-pres-er] / kəmˈprɛs ər /

noun

compressors plural

1. a person or thing that compresses.

2. Anatomy. a muscle that compresses some part of the body.

3. Surgery. an instrument for compressing a part of the body.

4. a pump or other machine for reducing volume and increasing pressure of gases in order to condense the gases, drive pneumatically powered machinery, etc.

5. Electronics. a transducer that produces an output with a range of voltages whose ratio is smaller than that of the range of the input signal.

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compressor British  

/ kəmˈprɛsə /

noun

1. any reciprocating or rotating device that compresses a gas

2. the part of a gas turbine that compresses the air before it enters the combustion chambers

3. any muscle that causes compression of any part or structure

4. a medical instrument for holding down a part of the body

5. an electronic device for reducing the variation in signal amplitude in a transmission system Compare expander compander

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• compressors
  plural

Etymology

Origin of compressor

First recorded in 1745–55; compress + -or ²

Explanation

A compressor is a type of pump that provides power by increasing the pressure on air or another gas. Most gas stations use compressors to provide air for their customers to fill their tires. Compressors are used in a wide variety of ways. Pneumatic power tools, like nail guns, have built-in compressors, as do tools used for spray-painting cars, dental instruments, and even the machinery used to make artificial snow at ski resorts. When this term was first used, around 1785, it referred to a specific surgical instrument, from the Latin root comprimere, "to squeeze."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

compressor compressors

Silent refrigerators and easy on/off TVs: California resident Jo Pitesky says she dreams of refrigerators that don’t wake you up at night as the compressor cycles on and off.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 1, 2026

“Our high-level thesis is we could build the best compressor out there using the latest and greatest technology,” said David Tearse, chief executive of Karman.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 22, 2026

Some workers have already returned and are lifting a soft chair onto a compressor machine to get it ready to box and ship.

From BBC ● May 14, 2025

It wasn’t easy: The half-ton compressor needed to drive the team’s large pneumatic drill was too heavy for their helicopter.

From Science Magazine ● Dec. 2, 2024

“Nice,” Mr. Larkin says, switching off the compressor.

From "Wayward Creatures" by Dayna Lorentz

"High temperatures in the fridges, compressors being ever so noisy, or completely packing up altogether."

From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026

Moreover, they are a nuisance in dense urban neighborhoods, afflicting residents with the omnipresent hum of compressors.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 1, 2026

Capturing the gas requires an expensive system of pipelines, compressors and other infrastructure that can cost more than the gas is worth.

From Salon ● Sep. 4, 2025

A new study calculates that U.S. oil and natural gas wells, pipelines and compressors are spewing three times more methane as the government thinks.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 10, 2024

They hauled in big pumps and compressors on flat-bed trucks from Albuquerque.

From "Ceremony:" by Leslie Marmon Silko