Meaning & use
compact
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Meanings
adjectivecomparable
Small and neatly arranged so that it takes up little space.
Grammar: Before a noun or after be: a compact camera.
The apartment is compact but comfortable.
She bought a compact camera for travel.
The city center is compact and easy to walk around.
verbtransitive
To press something together so that it becomes more dense.
Grammar: Takes an object: compact the soil.
Patterns
- compact something
Workers compacted the soil before laying the road.
The trash is compacted in the truck.
nouncountable
A small flat case containing powder and a mirror.
Grammar: Countable noun.
She powdered her nose from a silver compact.
nouncountableformal
A formal agreement between people or groups.
Grammar: Often a compact between or with.
Patterns
- a compact between someone and someone
The two nations signed a compact on trade.
They made a compact never to reveal the secret.
nouncountableAmerican
A small car.
Grammar: Mainly American usage, often a compact car.
He drives a compact to save on fuel.
Word forms
| comparative | more compact |
|---|---|
| superlative | most compact |
| third person singular | compacts |
| past tense | compacted |
| past participle | compacted |
| -ing form | compacting |
| plural | compacts |
Common combinations
- compact car
- They rented a compact car.
- compact disc
- He still owns a compact disc player.
- compact size
- Its compact size fits in a bag.
- compact the soil
- Compact the soil gently.
- social compact
- A social compact was agreed.
Synonyms and how they differ
- small
- Only describes size, not tidy arrangement.
- concise
- Used for writing or speech, not objects.
- agreement
- The general word for a deal, while compact is formal.
- pact
- Close in meaning, often between nations or groups.
Opposites
Word family
- compactly adverb
- in a tight, space-saving way
- compactness noun
- the quality of being compact
Commonly confused: compact or contact?
compact vs contact
Contact is communication or touch, not neatness or agreement.
Practice
The tent folds into a ___ bag that fits easily in a backpack.
Choose one answer.
Compact means small and neatly packed. The other adjectives do not describe space-saving size.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “compact”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.