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Meaning & use

compactor

noun·Everyday

Last updated

UK/kəmˈpæktə/
US/kəmˈpæktɚ/

Meanings

  1. nouncountable

    A machine that squeezes material, such as trash, soil or metal, into a smaller space or a denser mass.

    Grammar: Counts as one machine: a trash compactor.

    Patterns

    • compactor for something

    The kitchen has a small trash compactor under the counter.

    A heavy compactor flattened the gravel for the new road.

    The recycling center uses a compactor to crush cardboard.

  2. nouncountabletechnical

    A heavy vehicle with a roller used to press soil or asphalt flat when building roads.

    Grammar: A construction term, often road compactor.

    Patterns

    • road compactor

    A road compactor rolled over the fresh asphalt.

    Workers used a plate compactor to level the patio base.

    The soil compactor was parked near the site.

Word forms

pluralcompactors

Common combinations

trash compactor
The trash compactor is full.
soil compactor
A soil compactor packed the ground.
plate compactor
He rented a plate compactor for the driveway.
waste compactor
The waste compactor reduced bulk by half.
run the compactor
Please run the compactor after dinner.

Synonyms and how they differ

crusher
A crusher breaks things into pieces, while a compactor squeezes them together.
press
Press is a general word and can mean any squeezing device.
roller
A roller flattens a surface by rolling and is one type of soil compactor.

Word family

compact verb
To press tightly together.
compaction noun
The act of pressing material into a smaller space.

Commonly confused: compactor or compact?

compactor vs compact

A compact is also a small car or a make-up case, so compactor is the machine.

Practice

A machine that squeezes garbage into a small block is called a ___.

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