compile

[ kuhm-pahyl ]

/ kəmˈpaɪl /

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See synonyms for: compile / compiled / compiling on Thesaurus.com

verb (used with object), com·piled, com·pil·ing.

to put together (documents, selections, or other materials) in one book or work.

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.

to gather together: to compile data.

Computers. to translate (a computer program) from a high-level language into another language, usually machine language, using a compiler.

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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-, pile¹

OTHER WORDS FROM compile

pre·com·pile, verb (used with object), pre·com·piled, pre·com·pil·ing.re·com·pile, verb (used with object), re·com·piled, re·com·pil·ing.un·com·piled, adjectivewell-com·piled, adjective

Words nearby compile

competitory, Comp. Gen., Compiègne, compilation, compilation film, compile, compiled language, compiler, complacency, complacent, complacently

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use compile in a sentence

Like we did in 2018, FiveThirtyEight has been compiling a wealth of information, including gender, for every major-party candidate for Senate, House and governor this year.
More Women Than Ever Are Running For Office. But Are They Winning Their Primaries?|Meredith Conroy|September 2, 2020|FiveThirtyEight
People in Hong Kong are fearful their data will be compiled by Beijing, too.
Hong Kong’s new mass COVID testing scheme is free and voluntary—and some citizens are suspicious|eamonbarrett|August 26, 2020|Fortune
Having secured the purchase of two national chains within the space of a week, Simon is estimated to part own approximately 400 stores in its own properties, according to data compiled by Green Street Advisors before the pandemic.
America’s Largest Shopping Mall Owner Gets a New Tenant: Itself|Daniel Malloy|August 20, 2020|Ozy
The system was first used to compile health statistics by the City of Baltimore, the US Office of the Surgeon General, and the New York Health Department—all opportunities probably secured with the help of Billings.
Punching in|Tate Ryan-Mosley|August 19, 2020|MIT Technology Review

To that end, the team is looking forth to compile an entire 3D data set and workflow that would be made accessible to other researchers and students, for a more concerted effort on the future projects involving the grandeur of Pompeii.
The Roman Domus (House): Architecture and Reconstruction|Dattatreya Mandal|April 8, 2020|Realm of History
Winnowing down countless artifacts to compile A History of New York in 101 Objects was challenging enough.
We All Have a Rosebud in Our Pasts|Sam Roberts|October 15, 2014|DAILY BEAST
One spokesperson even worked late into the night to compile statistics related to Peace Corps safety.
The Peace Corps' Awful Secret|Tim Mak|August 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Indeed, Warmuth eventually would compile a list of Jack London appropriations in Chronicles that ran 12 pages long.
Bob Dylan’s ‘Da Vinci Code’ Revealed|Chris Francescani|May 18, 2014|DAILY BEAST
We would before Christmas compile a thick book of readings for him.
Clinton, Bush, and Obama Speechwriters on How They Made the State of the Union Address|Chris Riback|January 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But I'm willing to bet that when I compile my Top Ten list next December, True Detective will still reign supreme.
‘True Detective’ Review: You Have to Watch HBO’s Revolutionary Crime Classic|Andrew Romano|January 11, 2014|DAILY BEAST
To support those statements with adequate evidence I should have to compile a book four times as large as the present volume.
God and my Neighbour|Robert Blatchford
Not quite, if I may judge from such tables of comparative speed as I am able to compile from memories of my own experience.
The Devil's Dictionary|Ambrose Bierce
No attempt has ever been made to compile a bibliography of selenium organic compounds.
Synthesis of 2-methyl-4-selenoquinazolone, 2-phenylbenzoselenazole, and its derivatives|Y-Gwan Chen
Some idea, then, may be formed of the vast amount of labor and expense necessary to compile a work of this character.
Secrets of Wise Men, Chemists and Great Physicians|William K. David
Why doesn't some patient drudge of a privat dozent compile a dictionary of the stable-names of the great?
Damn!|Henry Louis Mencken

British Dictionary definitions for compile

compile

/ (kəmˈpaɪl) /

verb (tr)

to make or compose from other materials or sourcesto compile a list of names

to collect or gather for a book, hobby, etc

computing to create (a set of machine instructions) from a high-level programming language, using a compiler

Word Origin for compile

C14: from Latin compīlāre to pile together, plunder, from com- together + pīlāre to thrust down, pack

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

compile

Origin of compile

OTHER WORDS FROM compile

Words nearby compile

Words related to compile

How to use compile in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for compile

Word Origin for compile