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to decompress

to decompress

3 5.0
Make a file or data the same as before it was made smaller
  • verb
  • /ˌdiːkəmˈprɛs/
  • Specialized
translation icon : descomprimir
  • To view the images, simply decompress the zip file containing the original photos.
  • decompressed data
  • decompress a byte
  • decompress both segments

Examples

  • Lossy compression is a method that, when the file is decompressed, the data retrieved may be different from the original, but is close enough to be usable.

    Academic text (2008)
  • CPB, the number of machine cycles needed to compress or decompress a byte, is a measure of architectural effectiveness for the compression and decompression units.

    Academic text (1996)
  • For instance, when accessing a file on a tape drive, it is not efficient to decompress the entire file system simply to retrieve one file.

    Academic text (1998)
  • The computer wafer back in his hotel room could easily search the download for any relevant information, then decompress and display it for him.

    Fiction book (1999)
  • To retrieve any bytes within the original data, it will be necessary to decompress the entire preceding data structure.

    Academic text (1998)
  • When all of the necessary information is available, the decoders decompress the respective streams and send the output to the television.

    Academic text (1998)
  • Extraction of a record from the compressed data is accomplished by decompressing from the preceding access point.

    Academic text (1998)
  • Inherent in that discussion is the presumption that all segments can be decompressed independently of the others.

    Academic text (1998)
  • To some extent, these costs can be offset by storing and transmitting the images in compressed form and decompressing them as needed.

    Academic text (1992)
  • The software can decompress files quickly, allowing users to access their data without delay.

Synonyms

to unzip
vsto decompress
  • Specialized
3 3.2

Take files out of a ZIP file so you can use them

is the broader term for restoring compressed data not limited to archives
to uncompress
vsto decompress
  • Specialized
6.3

Make a file or folder return to its original size and form

is the standard technical term for that same restoration

Antonyms

94 3.7

To press something so it takes less space

Surface Forms

decompress infinitive
decompressed past participle
decompressing present participle
decompresses third person singular

Morphology

decompress = compress (transparent) = de + compress

The prefix 'de-' straightforwardly reverses the action of 'compress', giving the meaning 'restore from a compressed state' in the computing sense.

Etymology

Decompress comes from the parts de- 'remove' and compress 'press together'. So to decompress a file is to 'take away' the pressing together of its data and put it back into its original form.