Hydrostatic pressure has been used as a variable to investigate the Ec-0.164 eV acceptor level for the oxygen-vacancy (O—V) defect in γ-ray irradiated Si, and the annealing/formation of oxygen-related defects in neutron-irradiated Si. The acceptor level is found by deep level transient spectroscopy to move closer to the conduction band and away from the valence band at rates of 3.9 meV/kbar and 2.4 meV/kbar, respectively, i.e., the level moves higher in the gap. There is also a relatively large inward (outward) breathing mode lattice relaxation (4.6±1.2 Å3/electron) accompanying electron emission (capture) from this level. Both results reflect the antibonding nature of the level and are qualitatively consistent with the Watkins—Corbett model for the O—V defect. The annealing rate was found by infrared absorption to increase with pressure for the O—V defect at 350°C with a derived activation volume of −4.5 Å3/defect, where the negative sign implies inward relaxation (contraction) on annealing. Pressure has relatively little effect on annealing of the C—Si—O C(3) defect which is interstitial in nature, but strongly favors the formation of the dioxygen (2 oxygen atoms per vacancy, i.e., O2—V) defect. The intensity of the O2—V band after annealing at 20 kbar is 5 times higher than that following similar annealing at 0 kbar. Additionally, this intensity at 20 kbar is higher than that achievable by any isochronal or isothermal annealing steps at 0 kbar. These annealing/formation results are discussed qualitatively in terms of models for the various defects.