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
The right-hander returned from thoracic outlet decompression surgery after a blood clot was discovered in his pitching shoulder last season.
—
ABC News, 25 Apr. 2026
Especially for a guy who had a second Tommy John elbow surgery in August 2023, then at the end of a healthy 2025 spring was sidelined by an odd left arm nerve issue that required an August decompression procedure to address.
—Marc Topkin, The Orlando Sentinel, 16 Apr. 2026
The sweetness was palpable and felt like a major decompression from the festival’s momentum.
—Reanna Cruz, Vulture, 13 Apr. 2026
The company says the system would be able to perform hemorrhage control, wound repair, chest decompression, shrapnel extraction, and field suturing, stabilizing the patient until evacuation can be carried out.
—Abhishek Bhardwaj, Interesting Engineering, 9 Apr. 2026
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
ABC News, 25 Apr. 2026
Especially for a guy who had a second Tommy John elbow surgery in August 2023, then at the end of a healthy 2025 spring was sidelined by an odd left arm nerve issue that required an August decompression procedure to address.
—Marc Topkin, The Orlando Sentinel, 16 Apr. 2026
The sweetness was palpable and felt like a major decompression from the festival’s momentum.
—Reanna Cruz, Vulture, 13 Apr. 2026
The company says the system would be able to perform hemorrhage control, wound repair, chest decompression, shrapnel extraction, and field suturing, stabilizing the patient until evacuation can be carried out.
—Abhishek Bhardwaj, Interesting Engineering, 9 Apr. 2026
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
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decompression
Noun
-
And one of the best places to find this level of relaxation is on the beach.—
Lydia Mansel,
Travel + Leisure,
25 Apr. 2026
-
The bright space includes two treatment rooms, a steam room, sauna, salt relaxation room, sensorial shower, and a Sisley retail shop.—
Condé Nast,
Condé Nast Traveler,
24 Apr. 2026
Noun
-
Beijing has long treated advanced technology transactions as matters of national security, even when the legal framing rests in competition policy.—
Dewardric L. McNeal,
CNBC,
28 Apr. 2026
-
Parents, rest easy for now For the time being, responsible parents in Florida can rest easy that school enrollment vaccination requirements will remain in place.—
Sun Sentinel Editorial Board,
Sun Sentinel,
28 Apr. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Decompression.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decompression. Accessed 29 Apr. 2026.
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