compactor

American  

[kuhm-pak-ter, kom-pak-] / kəmˈpæk tər, ˈkɒm pæk- /

noun

1. an appliance that crushes and compresses trash into small convenient bundles.

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Etymology

Origin of compactor

First recorded in 1945–50; compact ¹ + -or ²

Example Sentences

Rita Cogay, who operates a compactor at the site, told AFP on Friday she had stepped outside to get a drink of water just moments before the building she had been in was crushed.

From Barron's • Jan. 10, 2026

Each garbage compactor — which holds about four tons — was contaminated with medical and hazardous waste, he said.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 5, 2024

In October, the company suspended dozens of workers at a New York warehouse after many of them staged a protest and refused to return to their shifts following a trash compactor fire.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 25, 2023

This is true of the black Chanel dress, the trash compactor, even an antique sword that is a keepsake from Nancy’s late husband.

From Washington Post • Apr. 6, 2022

He was afraid, he said, of the escalators in the Atlanta airport, which looked like the teeth of some giant trash compactor.

From "Outcasts United: An American Town, a Refugee Team, and One Woman's Quest to Make a Difference" by Warren St. John