compact Meaning & Definition
What Does Compact Mean?
As an adjective, compact means predominantly formed or filled. It can also mean having a dense structure or parts or units closely packed or joined. As a verb, it means to make up by connecting or combining. As a noun, it means something that is compact or compacted.
Word Facts for Compact
| Part of speech | adjective, verb, noun |
|---|---|
| Pronunciation | /kəm-ˈpakt/ |
| Syllables | 2 |
| Synonyms | heavy, succinct and concise |
| Antonyms | loose, flabby and soft |
| Plural | compacts |
| Comparative / superlative | more compact, most compact |
| Verb forms | compacts, compacting, compacted |
| Adverb | compactly |
Compact Definition (Adjective)
- predominantly formed or filled : composed:1, made
The story is compact of touching reminiscences.
- having a dense structure or parts or units closely packed or joined
a compact woolen / compact bone
- not diffuse or verbose
a compact statement
- occupying a small volume by reason of efficient use of space
a compact camera / a compact formation of troops
- short-bodied, solid, and without excess flesh
He had a small, compact body that looked full of life.
- being a topological space and especially a metric space with the property that for any collection of open sets which contains it there is a subset of the collection with a finite number of elements which also contains it
Compact as a Verb
- to make up by connecting or combining : compose
- to knit or draw together : combine
- to press together : compress
- to become compacted
Compact as a Noun
- something that is compact or compacted
- a small cosmetic case (as for compressed powder)
- an automobile smaller than an intermediate but larger than a subcompact
Noun
- an agreement or covenant between two or more parties
Synonyms of Compact
Antonyms of Compact
Compact in a Sentence
a compact laptop computer
A set S of real numbers is called compact if every sequence in S has a subsequence that converges to an element again contained in S.
a compact discourse
The story is compact of touching reminiscences.
a compact woolen
compact bone
a compact statement
a compact camera
a compact formation of troops
He had a small, compact body that looked full of life.
a mattress with a compact foam core
compact soil that should provide good support for the plant
compact prose without a single wasted word
a five-nation compact to control drug traffic
the two made a compact never to artificially prolong the other's life in the event of incapacitating illness or injury
the media giant decided to compact all of its far-flung operations onto a single site
compact the snow into a tight ball for throwing
a compact woolen / compact bone
a compact camera / a compact formation of troops
Word Forms & Grammar
com·pact·ly adverb
com·pact·ness noun
compact
compacter
compactest
compactly
compactness
compactnesses
com·pact·ed
com·pact·ing
com·pacts
com·pact·ible adjective
com·pac·tor noun
compacted
compacters
compactible
compacting
compactor
compactors
compacts
compact (plural compacts)
compact (third-person singular simple present compacts, present participle compacting, simple past and past participle compacted)
compact (not comparable)
compact (comparative more compact or compacter, superlative most compact or compactest)
Words That Rhyme With Compact
Origin of Compact
Origin 1: Middle English, firmly put together, from Latin compactus, from past participle of compingere to put together, from com- + pangere to fasten pact
Origin 2: see compact:1
Origin 3: Latin compactum, from neuter of compactus, past participle of compacisci to make an agreement, from com- + pacisci to contract pact
Origin 4: Borrowed from Latin compactum (“agreement”).
Origin 5: From Middle French compact, from Latin compāctus, perfect passive participle of compingō (“join together”), from com- (“together”) + pangō (“fasten”), from Proto-Indo-European *peh₂ǵ- (“to attach, fix, fasten”).
First Known Use
14th century
15th centuryt
1600
1555
Pronouncing Compact
Compact is pronounced /kəm-ˈpakt/ and has 2 syllables, with the main stress on the second syllable (pakt).
Questions People Ask About Compact
Is compact an adjective or a verb?
Compact is mainly used as an adjective, but it can also be used as a verb and a noun.
What is another word for compact?
Close synonyms of compact are heavy, succinct and concise. See the full list of compact synonyms and antonyms.
What is the opposite of compact?
The opposite of compact can be expressed with words like loose, flabby, soft and spongy.
What is the plural of compact?
The plural of compact is compacts.
What is the past tense of compact?
The past tense of compact is compacted. The present participle is compacting.