Decompress: meaning, definitions and examples

This term is often used in computing when referring to making a compressed file return to its original size. It can also refer to relaxing or unwinding after stress or pressure in everyday language.

• You need a special software to decompress this ZIP file.
• After a long work week, she went to the spa to decompress.

This term is often used generally to mean 'to make something larger' or 'to increase.' In computing, it can also mean increasing the size of compressed data.

• The company plans to expand its operations to Europe next year.
• Click on the folder to expand it and view its contents.

This term is almost exclusively used in computing to describe the action of decompressing a ZIP file. It has no negative connotations.

• You can unzip the file using WinRAR or 7-Zip.
• After you download the package, unzip it to access the contents.

Commonly used in both computing and general language, it means to take something out of something else. In computing, it often refers to extracting specific files from a compressed or bundled set.

• You'll need to extract the files from the ZIP archive before you can use them.
• The dentist had to extract the infected tooth.