verb ·Rare ·Advanced level

Definitions

Verb

1. 1
   To deteriorate in function due to an inability to invoke normal defensive mechanisms that compensate for ailments and other stresses.

   "The infant whose heart is decompensating has a rapid pulse, rapid respirations, and respiratory distress."

Example

More examples

"The infant whose heart is decompensating has a rapid pulse, rapid respirations, and respiratory distress."

Etymology

From de- + compensate.

Data sourced from Wiktionary, WordNet, CMU, and other open linguistic databases. Updated March 2026.