decompress

 
Pronunciation: /ˌdiːkəmˈprɛs/

verb

[with object]
  • 1 [with object] relieve of compressing forces, in particular.
  • subject (a diver) to decompression: when a worker is suddenly decompressed, he should be placed in the airlock
  • expand (compressed data) to its normal size so that it can be read and processed by a computer: it takes less time to load a small file and decompress it than to pull a larger file off the disk
  • 2 [no object] North American informal calm down and relax: Michael sits for a minute to decompress before walking home