compressor

UK: /kəmˈprɛsə^r/ US: /kəmˈprɛsɚ/ ,(kəm pres′ər)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

com•pres•sor /kəmˈprɛsɚ/   n. [countable]

1. a person or thing that compresses, esp. a pump for increasing pressure of gases.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

com•pres•sor  (kəm pres′ər), n. 

1. a person or thing that compresses.
2. Anatomy a muscle that compresses some part of the body.
3. Surgery an instrument for compressing a part of the body.
4. Hydraulics, Mechanical Engineering a pump or other machine for reducing volume and increasing pressure of gases in order to condense the gases, drive pneumatically powered machinery, etc.
5. Electronics a transducer that produces an output with a range of voltages whose ratio is smaller than that of the range of the input signal. Cf. expander (def. 2).

• compress + -or² 1745–55

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

compressor / kəmˈprɛsə/ noun

1. any reciprocating or rotating device that compresses a gas
2. the part of a gas turbine that compresses the air before it enters the combustion chambers
3. any muscle that causes compression of any part or structure
4. an electronic device for reducing the variation in signal amplitude in a transmission system
   Compare expander