Definition of compact
1 : predominantly formed or filled : composed, made Miss Austen's novels are compact of delicate trivialities … — Samuel Alexander
2a : having a dense structure or parts or units closely packed or joined a compact woolen compact boneb : not diffuse or verbose a compact statementc : occupying a small volume by reason of efficient use of space a compact camera a compact formation of troopsd : short-bodied, solid, and without excess flesh He had a small, compact body that looked full of life. — D. H. Lawrence
3 : 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
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Examples of compact in a Sentence
The drill has a compact design.
the apartment's compact floor plan
The cabin was compact but perfectly adequate.
He is compact and muscular.
He has a compact body.
Origin and Etymology of compact
Middle English, firmly put together, from Latin compactus, from past participle of compingere to put together, from com- + pangere to fasten — more at pact
compact
Definition of compact
Examples of compact in a Sentence
The snow had compacted into a hard icy layer.
the media giant decided to compact all of its far-flung operations onto a single site
Origin and Etymology of compact
see 1compact
Definition of compact
: something that is compact or compacted:a : a small cosmetic case (as for compressed powder)b : an automobile smaller than an intermediate but larger than a subcompact
First Known Use of compact
1601
Definition of compact
: an agreement or covenant between two or more parties
Origin and Etymology of compact
Latin compactum, from neuter of compactus, past participle of compacisci to make an agreement, from com- + pacisci to contract — more at pact
COMPACT Defined for English Language Learners
compact
playDefinition of compact for English Language Learners
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: smaller than other things of the same kind
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: using little space and having parts that are close together
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: closely or firmly packed or joined together
compact
Definition of compact for English Language Learners
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: to press (something) so that it is harder and fills less space
COMPACT Defined for Kids
Definition of compact for Students
1 : closely united or packed compact dirt
2 : arranged so as to save space a compact house
compactly
adverbcompactness
nounDefinition of compact for Students
1 : a small case for cosmetics
2 : a somewhat small automobile
Medical Dictionary
Medical Definition of compact
: having a dense structure without small cavities or cells compact bone—compare cancellous
Illustration of compact
Learn More about compact
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See words that rhyme with compact Thesaurus: All synonyms and antonyms for compact Spanish Central: Translation of compact Nglish: Translation of compact for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of compact for Arabic speakers
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