compound

¹ American  

[kom-pound, kom-pound, kom-pound, kuhm-pound, kom-pound] / ˈkɒm paʊnd, kɒmˈpaʊnd, ˈkɒm paʊnd, kəmˈpaʊnd, ˈkɒm paʊnd /

adjective

1. composed of two or more parts, elements, or ingredients.

   Soap is a compound substance.

2. having or involving two or more actions or functions.

   The mouth is a compound organ.

3. Grammar. of or relating to a compound sentence or compound-complex sentence.

4. (of a word)

   1. consisting of two or more parts that are also bases, forming a or as housetop, many-sided, playact, or upon.

   2. consisting of any two or more parts that have identifiable meaning, as a base and a noninflectional affix (return, follower ), a base and a combining form (biochemistry ), two combining forms (ethnography ), or a combining form and a noninflectional affix (aviary, dentoid ).

5. (of a verb tense) consisting of an auxiliary verb and a main verb, as are swimming, have spoken, or will write (opposed to simple).

6. Botany. composed of several similar parts that combine to form a whole.

   a compound fruit.

7. Zoology. composed of a number of distinct individuals that are connected to form a united whole or colony, as coral.

8. Music. of or relating to compound time.

9. Machinery. noting an engine or turbine expanding the same steam or the like in two successive chambers to do work at two ranges of pressure.

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noun

1. something formed by compounding or combining parts, elements, etc.

2. Chemistry. a pure substance composed of two or more elements whose composition is constant.

3. a compound word, especially one composed of two or more words that are otherwise unaltered, as moonflower or rainstorm.

verb (used with object)

• compounds,
  present (3rd person singular)
• compounded,
  past participle,  past
• compounding
  present participle

1. to put together into a whole; combine.

   to compound drugs to form a new medicine.

2. to make or form by combining parts, elements, etc.; construct.

   to compound a new plan from parts of several former plans.

3. to make up or constitute.

   all the organs and members that compound a human body.

4. to settle or adjust by agreement, especially for a reduced amount, as a debt.

5. Law. to agree, for a consideration, not to prosecute or punish a wrongdoer for.

   to compound a crime or felony.

6. to pay (interest) on the accrued interest as well as the principal.

   My bank compounds interest quarterly.

7. to increase or add to.

   The misery of his loneliness was now compounded by his poverty.

8. Electricity. to connect a portion of the field turns of (a direct-current dynamo) in series with the armature circuit.

verb (used without object)

• compounds,
  present (3rd person singular)
• compounded,
  past participle,  past
• compounding
  present participle

1. to make a bargain; come to terms; compromise.

2. to settle a debt, claim, etc., by compromise.

3. to form a compound.

compound ² American  

[kom-pound] / ˈkɒm paʊnd /

noun

1. an enclosure, especially one for prisoners.

2. an enclosed or protected area where a group of people live or work, such as a military base.

3. any separate cluster of homes, often owned by members of the same family.

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compound ¹ British  

/ ˈkɒmpaʊnd /

noun

1. (esp formerly in South Africa) an enclosure, esp on the mines, containing the living quarters for Black workers

2. any similar enclosure, such as a camp for prisoners of war

3. (formerly in India, China, etc) the enclosure in which a European's house or factory stood

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compound ² British  

noun

1. a substance that contains atoms of two or more chemical elements held together by chemical bonds

2. any combination of two or more parts, aspects, etc

3. a word formed from two existing words or combining forms

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verb

1. to mix or combine so as to create a compound or other product

2. to make by combining parts, elements, aspects, etc

   to compound a new plastic

3. to intensify by an added element

   his anxiety was compounded by her crying

4. finance to calculate or pay (interest) on both the principal and its accrued interest

5. (also intr) to come to an agreement in (a quarrel, dispute, etc)

6. (also intr) to settle (a debt, promise, etc) for less than what is owed; compromise

7. law to agree not to prosecute in return for a consideration

   to compound a crime

8. electrical engineering to place duplex windings on the field coil of (a motor or generator), one acting as a shunt, the other being in series with the main circuit, thus making the machine self-regulating

adjective

1. composed of or created by the combination of two or more parts, elements, etc

2. (of a word) consisting of elements that are also words or productive combining forms

3. (of a sentence) formed by coordination of two or more sentences

4. (of a verb or the tense, mood, etc, of a verb) formed by using an auxiliary verb in addition to the main verb

   the future in English is a compound tense involving the use of such auxiliary verbs as ``shall'' and ``will''

5. music

   1. denoting a time in which the number of beats per bar is a multiple of three

      six-four is an example of compound time

   2. (of an interval) greater than an octave

6. zoology another word for colonial

7. (of a steam engine, turbine, etc) having multiple stages in which the steam or working fluid from one stage is used in a subsequent stage

8. (of a piston engine) having a turbocharger powered by a turbine in the exhaust stream

compound Scientific  

/ kŏm′pound′ /

1. A substance consisting of atoms or ions of two or more different elements in definite proportions joined by chemical bonds into a molecule. The elements cannot be separated by physical means. Water, for example, is a compound having two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom per molecule.

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1. Composed of more than one part, as a compound eye or leaf.

compound Cultural  

1. In chemistry, a substance containing two or more elements in definite proportions.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• compoundedness
  noun
• compounder
  noun
• compoundable
  adjective
• noncompoundable
  adjective
• uncompoundable
  adjective
• uncompounded
  adjective
• uncompounding
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• compounding
  present
• compounded
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• compound
  simple
• compounds
  simple
• have compounded
  perfect
• has compounded
  perfect
• am compounding
  progressive
• are compounding
  progressive
• is compounding
  progressive
• have been compounding
  perfect progressive
• has been compounding
  perfect progressive

Past

• compounded
  simple
• had compounded
  perfect
• was compounding
  progressive
• were compounding
  progressive
• had been compounding
  perfect progressive

Future

• will compound
  simple
• will have compounded
  perfect
• will be compounding
  progressive
• will have been compounding
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of compound¹

First recorded in 1350–1400; Middle English verb componen, compounen, compownen, from Old French compon- (stem of compondre ), from Latin compōnere, equivalent to com- com- + pōnere “to put”; Middle English adjective compouned, past participle of componen, as above

Origin of compound²

First recorded in 1670–80; alteration, by association with compound ¹, of Malay kampung “village, collection, gathering”; cf. kampong

Explanation

If you compound a problem you add something to it to make it worse, like say, putting water on a grease fire. Compound means to combine; a compound is a combination or mixture of two or more things. Compound has several specialized uses. A compound is either a mixture or two or more things, or a heavily guarded residence. In botany, a compound leaf consists of more than one part. In linguistics, a compound is a word that consists of two or more independent words. In chemistry, a compound is a substance created when atoms from chemical elements join together.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

compound compounds compounded compounding

Using compound 10 alongside other medications may one day help improve quality of life for people with Alzheimer's disease.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 17, 2026

The broader effects of compound 10 suggest that interfering with GRK2 aggregation may influence more than Alzheimer's related processes.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 17, 2026

But when the Kushners hosted a housewarming cocktail party at their own compound, only about half the board showed up, these members said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026

"Confidence and reciprocity are beginning to take shape to open the door to engagement on the most difficult issues," says Gagnon whom we meet inside the UN's vast, heavily fortified compound.

From BBC ● Aug. 14, 2026

Meters can also be classified as either simple or compound.

From "Understanding Basic Music Theory" by Catherine Schmidt-Jones and Russel Jones

These compounds help maintain healthy blood pressure and reduce inflammation.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 13, 2026

Authorities recently estimated that 300,000 people had left the country within a few months as raids on industrial-scale compounds intensified.

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026

It pressed for an investigation in 1996, when volatile compounds were found in the soil and soil gas.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026

But these Malaysian offshoots do not appear to have been scam "compounds" in the traditional sense.

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026

His technique was to expose a variety of chemical compounds to energizing sunlight.

From "Big Science" by Michael Hiltzik

Concerns have been compounded by the decision to manufacture the upcoming SUV -- developed in partnership with Leapmotor -- in Zaragoza, Spain, rather than in Ruesselsheim.

From Barron's ● Aug. 16, 2026

“People who successfully live in Big Sur can handle these crises. It’s when they’re compounded with other things that it becomes exceedingly difficult,” she said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

This would reflect continued price pressures from higher energy and import costs, compounded by a weaker yen, Song said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

“That said, impacts from the Salmonella outbreak could be compounded by several industry food-safety incidents currently continuing to make headlines in the national media,” he added.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 6, 2026

While a baby Feral might have caused inconvenience, a baby Ruby had had a more dangerous effect, compounded by the volatility of her nature.

From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor

Going beyond that "creates all kinds of compounding problems that the Navy then has to deal with down the line."

From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026

Many species once abundant across the continent are now isolated to increasingly small and disjointed patches, each impact compounding and leaving them more vulnerable to the next.

From BBC ● Aug. 8, 2026

In the intervening years, however, a cottage industry of compounding pharmacies emerged, including Ro and Hims & Hers Health.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 5, 2026

“We have a scale that few companies in history have reached, a business that is healthy and compounding, and opportunities only we are positioned to pursue,” Alex Norström, Spotify’s co-chief executive, said in a statement.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 4, 2026

She was always restless when her moths were out, and now her confusion was compounding it.

From "Strange the Dreamer" by Laini Taylor

Related Words

• add to
• aggravate
• exacerbate
• heighten
• intensify
• magnify
• multiply
• worsen