compile
Americanverb (used with object)
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compiles,
present (3rd person singular)
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compiled,
past participle, past
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compiling
present participle
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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:
The cameras compile license plate numbers and other identifying information, including make, model, paint color, dents and bumper stickers.
From Salon ● Sep. 28, 2026
The only Englishman to compile a Test ton, and the scorer of 141 against India in a one-day international at Lord's, ends with nine scores below 20 from his other 15 innings.
From BBC ● Sep. 28, 2026
They contend that the government statisticians who compile the jobs report haven’t caught up yet with postpandemic shifts in seasonal employment patterns.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 3, 2026
The order directed the Department of Homeland Security to compile lists of U.S. citizens who reside in each state and will be at least 18 years old by Election Day.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 24, 2026
As cultural ecologist Paul Shepard has observed, The nomadic Bedouin does not dote on scenery, paint landscapes, or compile a nonutilitarian natural history..
From "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer
It also has a searchable public website that compiles public information on banks.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
The heart-wrenching effort to locate victims continues online, on a government website that compiles information on survivors and the missing, alongside numerous pleas for help.
From Barron's ● Sep. 1, 2026
The editor then compiles the footage to be ready for the audience to watch the next day to record their reactions.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2026
Robert Watts, who compiles the list, said this year's Rich List is "a tale of two exoduses".
From BBC ● May 15, 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
ETF investors continued to add holdings to U.S.-listed gold-related ETFs in September, which attracted $3.8 billion net inflows for the month, following $7.9 billion in August, according to data compiled by State Street.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 30, 2026
However, a Starbucks fan known online as Winter compiled a spreadsheet of likely stores based on locations listed as closed for the coming week in the company’s app, according to SFGate.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 28, 2026
But the FBI compiled emails, which ProPublica reviewed, that were suggestive of illegal bargains.
From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2026
In Gmail, Siri compiled a packing checklist from a school email.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
It is the simulation, the code already compiled, a complicated list of commands that anticipate and address a thousand different outcomes.
From "Divergent" by Veronica Roth
Wolfe appeared in 72 games over three seasons with the Blue Jays, compiling a 5-5 record and a 3.81 ERA in 82.2 innings pitched.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 17, 2026
On the other hand, when it comes to compiling a list of mail voters for USPS, Avore noted that these states are actually better suited than others to share that list.
From Slate ● Sep. 3, 2026
Clinical geneticist Dr. Xiao P. Peng, who helped confirm Hinken’s family’s diagnoses, said the tools still make mistakes and are better at generating possible leads, translating complex medical jargon and compiling research than making diagnoses.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 15, 2026
Hong Kong's main tech stock index plans to include 20 more companies as well as artificial intelligence and robotics themes to reflect changes in the industry, the firm compiling it has said.
From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 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.
