as in relaxation
freedom from activity or labor
the waitstaff gets a welcome period of decompression between the lunch and dinner rushes
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Recent Examples of decompression
One area of uncertainty is how much hydrogen in the iron samples escaped during decompression; this loss has been documented in other studies but was not included in the new calculations.
—
Mindy Weisberger, CNN Money, 10 Feb. 2026
Depress the decompression valve (if your model has one).
—Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2025
The first uses extrusion, in which the biomass is heated and pressurized before undergoing rapid decompression.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 18 Dec. 2025
After any transitional moment in life, a decompression period of about 90 to 180 days can be essential.
—Jason Phillips, USA Today, 10 Dec. 2025
Having decompression hobbies has been really good for me as well.
—Glamour, 9 Dec. 2025
Found in translation In a way, human language acts as a compression and decompression scheme—the listener must decompress the meaning of words in the same way the speaker intended when encoding the message for them to be properly understood.
—ArsTechnica, 23 Sep. 2025
Plus, the unboxing and decompression was easy enough for Moon to set it up alone.
—Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 22 Aug. 2025
You were hospitalized twice for surgery or decompression (a procedure to relieve pressure from blockages).
—Health, 15 Aug. 2025
Mindy Weisberger, CNN Money, 10 Feb. 2026
Depress the decompression valve (if your model has one).
—Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2025
The first uses extrusion, in which the biomass is heated and pressurized before undergoing rapid decompression.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 18 Dec. 2025
After any transitional moment in life, a decompression period of about 90 to 180 days can be essential.
—Jason Phillips, USA Today, 10 Dec. 2025
Having decompression hobbies has been really good for me as well.
—Glamour, 9 Dec. 2025
Found in translation In a way, human language acts as a compression and decompression scheme—the listener must decompress the meaning of words in the same way the speaker intended when encoding the message for them to be properly understood.
—ArsTechnica, 23 Sep. 2025
Plus, the unboxing and decompression was easy enough for Moon to set it up alone.
—Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 22 Aug. 2025
You were hospitalized twice for surgery or decompression (a procedure to relieve pressure from blockages).
—Health, 15 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decompression
Noun
-
One thing Lindenmeyr always recommends splurging on in the name of relaxation?—
Erik Buckingham,
Condé Nast Traveler,
6 Feb. 2026
-
Aquagranda Livigno The Aquagranda wellness and relaxation center is one of the largest in Europe.—
Andrea Onate,
Footwear News,
6 Feb. 2026
Noun
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And don’t forget to fit in at least one to two days a week of rest or active recovery (with low-intensity movement, like yoga or a gentle walk).—
Erica Sloan,
SELF,
10 Feb. 2026
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Several short daily play sessions followed by a meal mimics the hunt-eat-rest cycle, and does wonders for a cat’s physical and emotional well-being.—
Cathy M. Rosenthal,
San Antonio Express-News,
10 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Decompression.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decompression. Accessed 15 Feb. 2026.
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