a small cosmetics case with a mirror; to be carried in a woman's purse
"She reached into her compact to fix her makeup before the interview."
a small and economical car
"We rented a compact for our road trip to save money on gas."
An agreement or contract.
"She reached into her evening bag to grab her compact before applying a touch of powder to refresh her makeup."
A small, slim folding case, often featuring a mirror, powder and a powderpuff; that fits into a woman's purse or handbag, or that slips into one's pocket.
In plain English: A compact is a small, portable case that holds makeup items like powder and lipstick.
"The new phone is very compact and fits easily in my pocket."
Usage: Use "compact" as a noun to refer specifically to a small, portable makeup case designed to fit in a pocket or purse. It should not be used as a general term for any small container or box.
To form an agreement or contract.
"The gardener used a heavy roller to compact the loose soil before planting the seeds."
To make more dense; to compress.
In plain English: To compact something means to press it down tightly so that it takes up less space.
"Please compact the trash before putting it in the bin."
Usage: Use "compact" as a verb when you press something together to reduce its size or increase its density, such as packing soil firmly or organizing files into a smaller space. Avoid using it to mean simply cleaning up or tidying an area, which requires different verbs like "clean" or "organize."
briefly giving the gist of something
"a short and compendious book"
"a compact style is brief and pithy"
"succinct comparisons"
"a summary formulation of a wide-ranging subject"
Closely packed, i.e. packing much in a small space.
"The driver struggled to fit all of our luggage into the compact trunk of the rental car."
In plain English: Compact means taking up very little space while still having everything you need inside it.
"The car is small and compact, making it easy to park in the city."
Usage: Use compact to describe something that is dense and occupies very little space due to tight arrangement. This term often applies to objects like cars or makeup kits that are designed to be small yet functional without sacrificing utility.
The word compact comes from the Latin compactum, which originally meant an agreement or pact. It entered English with this sense of a formal understanding before later expanding to describe things that are tightly packed together.