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Synonyms

compiler

American  
[kuhm-pahy-ler] / kəmˈpaɪ lər /
Rarely compilator

noun

  1. a person who compiles, or gathers things together.

  2. Also called compiling routine.  Computers. a computer program that translates a program written in a high-level language into another language, usually machine language.

compiler British  
/ kəmˈpaɪlə /

noun

  1. a person who collects or compiles something

  2. a computer program by which a high-level programming language, such as COBOL or FORTRAN, is converted into machine language that can be acted upon by a computer Compare assembler

"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
compiler Scientific  
/ kəm-pī′lər /

  1. A computer program associated with certain programming languages that converts the instructions written in those languages into machine code that can later be executed directly by a computer.

  2. See more at programming language

Other Word Forms

  • precompiler noun

Etymology

Origin of compiler

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English compilour, from Anglo-French; Old French compileor, from Late Latin compīlātor; equivalent to compile + -er 2

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.

The first ever series of Countdown was won that year by crossword compiler Joyce Cansfield.

From BBC • Dec. 20, 2024

Edward Mathers worked as a crossword compiler for The Observer newspaper under the pseudonym Torquemada.

From Scientific American • Apr. 21, 2023

Boeing can hire an engineer in Bengaluru, India’s southern tech hub, for 7% of the cost of a similar role in Seattle, according to salary data compiler Glassdoor.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 17, 2023

But despite his penchant for passionate outbursts — “It’s crazy, it’s insane!” he’ll exclaim over some or other outrage or absurdity — Moreno Ocampo is known as a judicious and meticulous compiler of material facts.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 1, 2023

The bad news is that they are told by Mr. Wilcox, compiler of hospital birth certificates, that they must choose a name for their son.

From "The Namesake" by Jhumpa Lahiri

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.