decompress
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
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to undergo decompression.
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Informal. to relax; unwind.
verb
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to relieve (a substance) of pressure or (of a substance) to be relieved of pressure
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to return (a diver, caisson worker, etc) to a condition of normal atmospheric pressure gradually from a condition of increased pressure or (of a diver, etc) to be returned to such a condition
Usage
What does decompress mean? Decompress means to release or reduce pressure. This literal meaning of decompress can be used in several contexts. Divers who’ve spent time in deep water decompress by coming up slowly. Divers and other underwater workers sometimes decompress by using a decompression chamber. The goal of these processes is to return the body to normal atmospheric pressure in order to avoid decompression sickness. In a medical context, to decompress is to release pressure in the body, such as from inside the skull through surgery. Decompress can also be used in a figurative way meaning to relax or unwind. This sense of the word likens stress to pressure within the body that needs to be released. A close synonym is destress. An even more informal way of saying this is blow off steam. In all senses of the word, the process of decompressing is called decompression. Example: Yoga really helps me to decompress after a stressful day at work.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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decompresssimple
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decompressessimple
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have decompressedperfect
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has decompressedperfect
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am decompressingprogressive
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are decompressingprogressive
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is decompressingprogressive
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have been decompressingperfect progressive
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has been decompressingperfect progressive
Past
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decompressedsimple
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had decompressedperfect
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was decompressingprogressive
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were decompressingprogressive
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had been decompressingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of decompress
1900–05; translation of French décomprimer. See de-, compress
Explanation
To decompress is either to reduce physical pressure on something or to unwind and relax after a long, hard day. You might need to decompress after a four-hour study session with your math tutor. When you compress something, you squeeze or flatten it, the way you'd compress an air mattress before rolling it up. If you decrease or let up that pressure, you decompress the air mattress. It's much more common to use this verb to mean "relax," to loosen a completely different kind of pressure. You may decompress after school by watching TV or taking your dog for a walk.
Vocabulary lists containing decompress
Computer Science and Technology - Middle School
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Computer Science and Technology - High School
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Quiet Power
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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.
See Examples For:
Such emotional familiarity ensures that even a quick dinner over sandwiches in the park can provide us with conversational carte blanche, a space to decompress and demystify without judgment.
From Salon ● Jul. 5, 2026
But he usually tries to decompress once the kids are asleep.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 19, 2026
For generations, a Saudi oasis town has been a favoured spot for stressed visitors from the nearby capital Riyadh to come and decompress.
From Barron's ● Apr. 6, 2026
They had to take Noah to do press, so we had some time to kind of decompress for the excitement and stuff.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2025
They encouraged me to take as much time as I needed to relax and decompress after a crazy Olympic experience.
From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad
"Once you take a piece away, the tissue decompresses like a flat tire," Purmessur Walter said.
From Science Daily ● May 16, 2024
As Pedro decompresses on the golf course, they zip around the country club in their golf carts as a few bewildered seniors look on.
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 14, 2023
In the offseason, Rodgers decompresses with non-football activities, such as the darkness retreat in Oregon he used to do some self-reflection - and ultimately led him to the Jets.
From Washington Times ● Sep. 11, 2023
Damani decompresses by hanging out at the Doo Wop club with Shereef, a mechanic by day and a fellow driver by night, and Stephanie, a teacher.
From Seattle Times ● Mar. 6, 2023
The likely scenario is that, when the crust decompresses slightly, liquid water squeezes through a crack and squirts into the cold vacuum of space.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 12, 2013
That means beginning with a red ball, which is decompressed and has little bounce, before progressing to an orange, green and then the regular yellow ball.
From BBC ● Nov. 13, 2023
Waters says that each dog will be different, but typically by the six-month mark they’ll be settled, fully decompressed, and begin developing a strong relationship with you.
From Seattle Times ● May 22, 2023
On a recent evening, the 66-year-old sipped coffee and decompressed after a shift at a farm outside of Fresno.
From New York Times ● Mar. 11, 2023
When it was over, he decompressed by watching co-star Richard Jenkins, who plays his father, play father to another impossible son in the Will Ferrell comedy “Step Brothers.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 21, 2022
It was “the place where I decompressed, and thought through all the problems,” he said.
From Washington Post ● May 11, 2022
Parrish later joined the marines and previously spoke of using running as a way of decompressing from the demands of the job.
From BBC ● Apr. 14, 2026
In late 1981, Bruce Springsteen was living in a rented house in Colts Neck, N.J., decompressing from a grueling world tour following the release of his 1980 album, “The River.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 14, 2025
He probably just needed some downtime, decompressing, healthy juices and vitamin D to get him back on track.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 15, 2025
On Friday, part of a Boeing 737 MAX 9 fuselage blew out at 16,000 feet on an Alaska Airlines flight out of Portland, leaving a large hole and decompressing the passenger cabin.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 8, 2024
An outgrowth of chaos mathematics, it is being used for compressing and decompressing high quality images.
From The Online World by De Presno, Odd
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.
