Synonyms of decompress

decompress

verb

ˌdē-kəm-ˈpres 

as in to relax

to get rid of nervous tension or anxiety

after she gets home from work, she needs some time to decompress before preparing dinner

Synonyms & Similar Words

• relax
• unwind
• chill
• rest
• de-stress
• wind down
• loosen up
• hang loose
• chill out
• compose
• mellow (out)
• bask
• settle
• unbend
• relieve
• lounge
• alleviate
• calm
• vegetate
• repose
• comfort
• idle
• kick back
• ease
• laze
• cool
• bum
• hang (around or out)
• quiet
• loll
• dawdle
• goof (off)
• hack (around)
• drone
• loaf
• veg out
• dillydally
• zone out
• footle
• dally

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

• tense (up)

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of decompress

The night before the show was spent at a refit, getting her hair done, and then decompressing with friends over drinks before, inevitably, running back to the Eiffel Tower. — Anna Cafolla, Vogue, 6 Oct. 2026

The content creator and comedian has been living in New York for the summer, shooting his biggest movie role to date, and riding his bike through the city is his favorite way to decompress. — Lucy Feldman, Time, 30 Sep. 2026

Fresh off the Carolina Herrera runway, Karlie Kloss had changed into a sleek white and black ensemble and soon found a seat near the back of the restaurant to decompress. — Leigh Nordstrom, Footwear News, 15 Sep. 2026

During his professional whirlwind the last handful of years, Cregger often decompresses with video games, and the Resident Evil franchise, particularly Resident Evil 4, has been one of his go-tos. — Brian Davids, HollywoodReporter, 10 Sep. 2026