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
Whether for sleep, study or decompression after a long day, millions of viewers are finding that the gentle patter of rain on a tent is enough.
—
Samantha Agate, Kansas City Star, 30 Mar. 2026
The Philadelphia Phillies again should be quite good, particularly if ace right-hander Zack Wheeler makes a strong return from thoracic outlet decompression surgery.
—Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2026
The introduction of Zstd to DirectStorage's multi-tier decompression framework lets developers leverage the CPU or GPU for decompression.
—Jon Martindale, PC Magazine, 12 Mar. 2026
The mattress instructions indicated a 24 to 72 hour decompression period for the memory foam to assume its correct shape.
—Kristi Kellogg, Architectural Digest, 27 Feb. 2026
Was the decompression time after work different for this type of project?
—Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 24 Feb. 2026
An ambient lounge and mingling decompression follows the show.
—Anne Schrager, San Francisco Chronicle, 11 Feb. 2026
But the prospect of going without a staple of his decompression routine was a step too far.
—Andrew Greif, NBC news, 11 Feb. 2026
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
Samantha Agate, Kansas City Star, 30 Mar. 2026
The Philadelphia Phillies again should be quite good, particularly if ace right-hander Zack Wheeler makes a strong return from thoracic outlet decompression surgery.
—Ken Rosenthal, New York Times, 25 Mar. 2026
The introduction of Zstd to DirectStorage's multi-tier decompression framework lets developers leverage the CPU or GPU for decompression.
—Jon Martindale, PC Magazine, 12 Mar. 2026
The mattress instructions indicated a 24 to 72 hour decompression period for the memory foam to assume its correct shape.
—Kristi Kellogg, Architectural Digest, 27 Feb. 2026
Was the decompression time after work different for this type of project?
—Chris Gardner, HollywoodReporter, 24 Feb. 2026
An ambient lounge and mingling decompression follows the show.
—Anne Schrager, San Francisco Chronicle, 11 Feb. 2026
But the prospect of going without a staple of his decompression routine was a step too far.
—Andrew Greif, NBC news, 11 Feb. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decompression
Noun
-
Others may have felt a greater need for rest, reflection and relaxation.—
Kyle Thomas,
PEOPLE,
5 Apr. 2026
-
Where solid wood beds or towering wingback frames can indicate dominance and declare their architectural importance in the bedroom, a slipcovered and low-profile bed invites rest and relaxation.—
Julia Harrison,
Architectural Digest,
3 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Marchán will play again on Wednesday because Realmuto will need some rest for his bruised right foot.—
Matt Gelb,
New York Times,
8 Apr. 2026
-
Last week, the Royals pushed Wacha due to illness, which granted him additional rest.—
Jaylon Thompson,
Kansas City Star,
7 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Decompression.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decompression. Accessed 9 Apr. 2026.
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