Meaning & use
compressive strength
Last updated
Meaning
noununcountable
The most pressure a material can take when it is squeezed before it crushes or fails.
Grammar: Usually uncountable but can take a number: a compressive strength of 40 megapascals.
Patterns
- the compressive strength of something
- a compressive strength of 30 MPa
Engineers tested the compressive strength of the concrete after 28 days.
Granite has a high compressive strength, so it is good for foundations.
The compressive strength of the bricks was lower than expected.
Common combinations
- high compressive strength
- The material has high compressive strength.
- test compressive strength
- Labs test compressive strength with a press.
- compressive strength of concrete
- The compressive strength of concrete rises as it cures.
- measure compressive strength
- We measure compressive strength in megapascals.
- low compressive strength
- Soft stone has low compressive strength.
Synonyms and how they differ
- crushing strength
- Crushing strength is an older, plainer term for the same property.
- load-bearing capacity
- Load-bearing capacity describes a whole structure's ability, not just the material.
- hardness
- Hardness is resistance to scratching or denting, not to being crushed.
Opposites
Word family
- compress verb
- to press together
- compression noun
- the act of squeezing
- compressive adjective
- relating to squeezing force
- strong adjective
- having great strength
Commonly confused: compressive strength or tensile strength?
compressive strength vs tensile strength
Tensile strength is how much pulling force a material resists before it snaps, which is the opposite direction of force.
Practice
Concrete is good for supporting buildings because it has high ___.
Choose one answer.
Compressive strength is resistance to crushing. Concrete is weaker in tension, and elasticity or flexibility are not its strengths.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “compressive strength”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.