compile
Americanverb (used with object)
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to put together (documents, selections, or other materials) in one book or work.
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to make (a book, writing, or the like) of materials from various sources.
to compile an anthology of plays; to compile a graph showing changes in profit.
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to gather together.
to compile data.
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Computers. to translate (a computer program) from a high-level language into another language, usually machine language, using a compiler.
verb
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to make or compose from other materials or sources
to compile a list of names
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to collect or gather for a book, hobby, etc
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computing to create (a set of machine instructions) from a high-level programming language, using a compiler
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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precompileverb (used with object)
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recompileverb (used with object)
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uncompiledadjective
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well-compiledadjective
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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compilesimple
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compilessimple
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have compiledperfect
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has compiledperfect
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am compilingprogressive
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are compilingprogressive
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is compilingprogressive
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have been compilingperfect progressive
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has been compilingperfect progressive
Past
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compiledsimple
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had compiledperfect
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was compilingprogressive
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were compilingprogressive
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had been compilingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of compile
First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English, from Latin compīlāre “to rob, pillage, steal from another writer,” equivalent to com- “with” + -pīlāre, perhaps akin to pīla “column, pier,” pīlāre “to fix firmly, plant” (hence, “pile up, accumulate”); see com-, pile 1
Explanation
When you compile something, like a recipe-book or a mix-tape, you put it together using things that already exist (recipes, songs). Poetry anthologies, greatest-hits albums, and world-record books are all compilations, because they're made up of things that were originally published or released somewhere else. If you want to skip out on soccer practice one day, you might compile of list of excuses.
Vocabulary lists containing compile
Jim Burke's Academic Vocabulary List
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TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
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UCPS 6th Grade Roots List #1
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
To compile a list of the large-cap technology stocks that have fallen the most during July, we began with the components of:
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026
The UN mission urged Afghan authorities to "compile a record of the missing" from the hospital strike to help their relatives find answers about their fate.
From Barron's ● May 12, 2026
He also built an AI tool to attempt to compile the tariff bill for his Cleveland, Ohio-based sneaker-care product company, Proof Culture.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 31, 2026
The briefings compile intelligence from complaints made to Trading Standards by community members and different authorities, as well as intelligence from "regional databases such as Citizens Advice Bureau… Companies House data… and open source research".
From BBC ● Mar. 19, 2026
She began to write it all down and compile a dictionary.
From "The Amber Spyglass" by Philip Pullman
Robert Watts, who compiles the list, said this year's Rich List is "a tale of two exoduses".
From BBC ● May 15, 2026
The data came from the Geneva registry and the National Agency for Cancer Registration, which compiles information from cantonal cancer registries across Switzerland.
From Science Daily ● May 15, 2026
The health department compiles the annual report from records provided by the Los Angeles County medical examiner augmented by state death certificates.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 10, 2026
With AI Inbox, Gmail not only prioritizes emails for you, it also extracts action items and compiles them into a skimmable report.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 18, 2026
When he’s finished, he compiles statistics and concludes confidently that a flea’s ears are in its back legs.
From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos
That compares with 598 million euros in the same period last year, and comes in ahead of analysts expectations for 1.63 billion euros, according to a consensus of estimates compiled by the company.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026
From a financial perspective, Tesla is expected to report second-quarter revenue of $26.4 billion and net income of $1.8 billion, according to analyst estimates compiled by FactSet.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 21, 2026
And on a point of fact regarding the question, the calendar is compiled by F1, not the FIA, which merely rubber stamps the schedule at its world council.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
Analysts currently estimate sales at 34.88 billion pounds, according to consensus figures compiled by the company.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 17, 2026
The Tale of the Great Ring, compiled by Bilbo Baggins from his own observations and the accounts of his friends.
From "The Return of the King" by J.R.R. Tolkien
Charlotin has been compiling a database of court documents containing AI hallucinations since April 2023.
From Barron's ● Jun. 15, 2026
For the Facebook creator, his primary residence has long been an enormous Palo Alto compound, which he spent several years compiling and which is now estimated to be worth over $110 million.
From MarketWatch ● May 4, 2026
Swift does not appear in the video, instead compiling a "supercut" of scenes from the late actress's films, alongside archive clips and newsreels showing the star being hounded by paparazzi.
From BBC ● Mar. 31, 2026
While she was still in the hospital, he started compiling, as much for her benefit as for his own, sources of everyday happiness.
From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 12, 2026
Not only was he compiling new codes for Army use, he was also teaching cryptography to Army officers, as well as breaking ciphers and codes on demand.
From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
