decompresses

Decompresses is the third-person singular present tense of the verb decompress, meaning to remove compression or to reduce pressure, or to expand data. It is used across technical, scientific, and everyday contexts to describe an action or process related to undoing compression.

In computing and data storage, decompressing restores compressed data to its original form. A decompressor or decoder applies algorithms such as DEFLATE, LZ77-based schemes, Huffman coding, or Brotli to recover the uncompressed data. The process is the inverse of compression and is essential for file formats like ZIP, PNG, and MP3.

In physical and medical contexts, decompression refers to a reduction in ambient pressure or the release of built-up pressure within a system. In diving, aviation, and spaceflight, rapid decompression can lead to physiological risks such as decompression sickness if ascent is not managed properly; treatment may involve recompression therapy. In tissues or mechanical systems, decompression describes relief of pressure, allowing volumes to expand or gases to escape.

In engineering and industrial settings, decompression devices, relief valves, and venting mechanisms are used to prevent overpressure by decompression of a vessel, pipeline, or actuator. The term can also describe the act of expanding data in software, where a stream is decompressed before processing or use.

Usage notes: Decompresses is a common verb form in technical writing, used with subjects such as the program, the data, or the system. See also decompression.