Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

compact

/ˈkɑmˌpækt/

Word Rarity Uncommon

Frequency: 4.06 in modern English

Syllables: com-pact
IPA: /ˈkɑmˌpækt/

15

Scrabble Score

7

Letters

2

Syllables

6

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

An agreement or contract.

verb

To form an agreement or contract.

Intransitive verb

adj

Agreed, contracted.

Archaic

adj

Closely packed or densely constituted; having much material in a small volume.

adj

Having all necessary features fitting neatly into a small space.

adj

Brief and pithy; not verbose.

adj

Of a topological space:

adj

Of a topological space:

Example Sentences

"President Biden laid out an ambitious agenda on Wednesday night to rewrite the American social compact by vastly expanding family leave, child care, health care, preschool and college education for millions of people to be financed with increased taxes on the wealthiest earners."
"After taking over this month as president of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, a nonpartisan coalition of city mayors, he urged members to sign a “crypto compact” calling on the federal government to eschew overly aggressive regulation of the industry."
"Countering this in international media by offering more balanced views for a global audience is near impossible as censorship is rife. There almost seems to be a global compact to control the narrative, a propaganda war powered by today’s digital technology."
"In return for the sovereign's protection, they compacted to police the content of public literature."
"O Gorice XI., most glorious King of Witchland, and O Lord Goldry Bluszco, captain of the hosts of Demonland, it is compact betwixt you, and made fast by mighty oaths whereof I, the Red Foliot, am keeper, that ye shall wrastle three falls together on these conditions, […]"
"glass, crystal, gems, and other compact bodies"

Etymology

Borrowed from Latin compactum (“agreement”).

Origin

Source language: Middle French

Word Breakdown

Root: compact, compāctus, *peh₂ǵ-

Regional Pronunciation

American English: /ˈkɑmˌpækt/
British English: /ˈkɒmˌpækt/

Usage

Inflected Forms

compacts (plural) compacts (present, singular) compacting (participle, present) compacted (participle, past) compacted (past) more compact (comparative) compacter (comparative) most compact (superlative) compactest (superlative)

Derived Forms

cocompact compactification compactify compactin compactization compactly compactness compacton decompact hypercompact incompact metacompact

Phrases

interstate compact social compact compact audio cassette compact camera compact cassette compact disc compact disk compact executive car

Synonyms

agreement contract pact treaty concentrated crowded dense serried quasi-compact powder box close compact

Antonyms

loose diffuse noncompact uncompact spaced out spread out

Rhymes With

subcompact

Questions

How do you pronounce compact?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈkɑmˌpækt/.
What does compact mean?: An agreement or contract.
Where does compact come from?: It is traced to Middle French.

How to pronounce compact

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “compact”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈkɑmˌpækt/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “compact”.
Repeat and practice — Say “compact” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.