decompress
/ˌdiː.kəmˈpres/ IELTSAcademic
verb
To reduce pressure, stress, or tension. It can mean to relax after work or to make something less tightly packed or compressed.
- I need time to decompress after the meeting.
- The software decompresses the file automatically.
Adinary Nuance
Decompress is often softer and more specific than relax. It suggests coming down after pressure, stress, travel, or intense work. Use unwind for a more casual, everyday sense of relaxing, and decompress when you want to stress recovery after strain.
In other languages
- Vietnamese
- thư giãn
- Spanish
- descomprimir
- Chinese
- 解压
- Japanese
- 圧を抜く
- Korean
- 긴장을 풀다
Etymology
From de- + compress, modeled on the opposite of compress. It became common in modern English in the 20th century, especially in technical and everyday relaxation use.
Common phrases
decompress after workdecompress from stresstime to decompressdecompress a file
Synonyms
Related words
Frequently asked questions
- Is decompress formal or informal?
- It is neutral and common in both speech and writing, especially in work or health contexts.
- What is the difference between decompress and relax?
- Relax is broader. Decompress suggests recovery after pressure, stress, or intense activity.
- Can I use decompress for files?
- Yes. It also means to restore compressed data or files to normal size.