depressurize
Americanverb (used with object)
-
to remove the air pressure from (a pressurized compartment of an aircraft or spacecraft).
-
to relieve the tensions of; cause to relax.
A week's vacation should depressurize me.
verb (used without object)
verb
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of depressurize
First recorded in 1940–45; de- + pressurize
Explanation
To depressurize is to let up on the force of something, especially a liquid or a gas. An astronaut must make sure that her protective spacesuit doesn't depressurize when she's performing a space walk. Depressurize means to slow or completely stop some kind of pressure, and this verb is almost always used to describe a halt in the flow of air, oxygen, or a liquid of some kind. In movies, when a plane or spacecraft depressurizes, there's a sudden, dangerous drop in breathable air. On a commercial airplane, individual oxygen masks are available in case of such an event. The Latin root of depressurize means "to press."
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:
The refrigerator-sized hole in the aircraft caused the cabin to rapidly depressurize.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 11, 2024
Under the court order, CalGEM entered the site to depressurize the wells to protect the community near USC.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 18, 2023
I have resorted to teaching strategies like “ungrading” and open-ended final projects in order to depressurize the classroom and allow my students to relax and enjoy learning.
From Slate ● Feb. 15, 2022
Since the Dragon capsule doesn’t have an airlock, the crew would have to put on pressurized spacesuits and slowly depressurize the cabin before opening the hatch at the top of the capsule.
From Washington Post ● Feb. 14, 2022
It's a complicated process, but it detaches the bedroom without having to depressurize the rover cabin.
From "The Martian" by Andy Weir
The pilot calmly explained that the plane had depressurized and needed to return to Portland International.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 7, 2024
The depressurized plane, which was carrying 171 passengers and six crew members, returned safely to Portland International Airport with no serious injuries.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 7, 2024
The passenger then directed the aircraft back towards the Malaysian peninsula and depressurized the cabin.
From Salon ● Mar. 10, 2023
To promote the flow of gas out of the rock, small particles of solids are included in the fracturing liquids to lodge in the shale cracks and keep them open after the liquids are depressurized.
From Textbooks ● Sep. 6, 2018
Vogel, back in his suit, depressurized Airlock 2 and opened the outer door.
From "The Martian" by Andy Weir
The piece that blew out – creating a gaping hole and rapidly depressurizing the cabin – was a door plug that some airlines use to fill a spot where an emergency exit can be installed.
From Seattle Times ● Jan. 17, 2024
It's believed that Shah began depressurizing the cabin, thus causing the emergency oxygen masks to go down in the cabin.
From Salon ● Mar. 10, 2023
Study co-author Andrew Tomkins, a geologist at Monash University in Australia, says that the rapidly depressurizing mix of chemicals could have interacted with the dwarf planet’s graphite to transform it into lonsdaleite.
From Scientific American ● Sep. 28, 2022
Peter Marks, a senior Food and Drug Administration official, said in June that the allocation of U.S. vaccines will resemble overhead oxygen masks on a depressurizing plane: Help yourself before helping others.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 28, 2020
After depressurizing, he opened the outer door and locked it in place.
From "The Martian" by Andy Weir
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.
