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
Depress the decompression valve (if your model has one).
—
Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2025
The first uses extrusion, in which the biomass is heated and pressurized before undergoing rapid decompression.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 18 Dec. 2025
After any transitional moment in life, a decompression period of about 90 to 180 days can be essential.
—Jason Phillips, USA Today, 10 Dec. 2025
Having decompression hobbies has been really good for me as well.
—Glamour, 9 Dec. 2025
Found in translation In a way, human language acts as a compression and decompression scheme—the listener must decompress the meaning of words in the same way the speaker intended when encoding the message for them to be properly understood.
—ArsTechnica, 23 Sep. 2025
Plus, the unboxing and decompression was easy enough for Moon to set it up alone.
—Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 22 Aug. 2025
After a briefing and gear setup, the first one-hour dive follows the main guideline, with optional deeper exploration afterward — some dives can reach nearly 200 feet (60 meters) and require decompression stops.
—Jennifer Walker, CNN Money, 18 Aug. 2025
You were hospitalized twice for surgery or decompression (a procedure to relieve pressure from blockages).
—Health, 15 Aug. 2025
Anthony Lane, New Yorker, 22 Dec. 2025
The first uses extrusion, in which the biomass is heated and pressurized before undergoing rapid decompression.
—Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 18 Dec. 2025
After any transitional moment in life, a decompression period of about 90 to 180 days can be essential.
—Jason Phillips, USA Today, 10 Dec. 2025
Having decompression hobbies has been really good for me as well.
—Glamour, 9 Dec. 2025
Found in translation In a way, human language acts as a compression and decompression scheme—the listener must decompress the meaning of words in the same way the speaker intended when encoding the message for them to be properly understood.
—ArsTechnica, 23 Sep. 2025
Plus, the unboxing and decompression was easy enough for Moon to set it up alone.
—Julia Harrison, Architectural Digest, 22 Aug. 2025
After a briefing and gear setup, the first one-hour dive follows the main guideline, with optional deeper exploration afterward — some dives can reach nearly 200 feet (60 meters) and require decompression stops.
—Jennifer Walker, CNN Money, 18 Aug. 2025
You were hospitalized twice for surgery or decompression (a procedure to relieve pressure from blockages).
—Health, 15 Aug. 2025
Recent Examples of Synonyms for decompression
Noun
-
Before treatments, guests can recline indoors with homemade lavender popcorn or enjoy sitting outside in the charming relaxation space filled with herbs and flowers.—
Asonta Benetti,
Condé Nast Traveler,
31 Jan. 2026
-
In addition, some herbal teas may help reduce stress, promote relaxation, or improve digestion.—
Ann Pietrangelo,
Verywell Health,
30 Jan. 2026
Noun
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On rest days, consider doing other forms of light exercise.—
Jamie Friedlander Serrano,
Time,
3 Feb. 2026
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If a little rest, relaxation, and rejuvenation are in order, the new Alila Mayakoba will be an excellent choice for an adult getaway.—
Beth Luberecki,
USA Today,
3 Feb. 2026
Cite this Entry
“Decompression.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/decompression. Accessed 8 Feb. 2026.
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