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

"I would spend my days walking across the CIA compound to the...unisex or family bathroom, which I could use, and it was humiliating having to do that," she described.

From Barron's ● Aug. 26, 2026

“We were afraid it was aliens,” joked Beatrice Bagwell, 74, who lives on a 240-acre Pecan Island compound that has been in the family for four generations.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026

That research focused on a potential therapeutic compound.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 21, 2026

Creatine is a natural compound in the body produced in the kidneys, liver and pancreas.

From BBC ● Aug. 20, 2026

This set them on the wide path that led into the spacious circular compound of cobbled ground under the spreading areca nut tree, ringed with the houses of the village elders.

From "The Boy Who Met a Whale" by Nizrana Farook

The judge cited testimony from investigator Scott Smith, who said soil contamination persists in East Palestine and that dioxins and other compounds found in August 2025 far exceed background levels.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026

The researchers went beyond simplified model compounds and tested the catalyst on real lignin collected from several biomass sources.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 25, 2026

Participating in a larger slice of the industry downstream of those chips, including lease backstops, residual-value guarantees and even equity stakes in customers, compounds the risks of an eventual weakening in AI chip demand.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026

One important obstacle is that many of these compounds can increase triglyceride levels, which may raise cardiovascular risk.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 23, 2026

It has more than a hundred and fifty aroma compounds.

From "The Marvellers" by Dhonielle Clayton

Rules intended to shield investors from compounded losses banned single-stock leveraged ETFs.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026

Today, Shein's challenges are compounded by increasingly tough competition from rival low-cost e-commerce giant Temu.

From Barron's ● Aug. 24, 2026

Attacks on refineries in Saudi Arabia and in Russia, which recently extended its ban on diesel exports to protect its own supply, have compounded the problem.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 20, 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

The puddle of magic, compounded now with fear and surprise and worry for the child that was on the other side of this dangerous stranger, enlarged suddenly into a tidal wave.

From "The Girl Who Drank the Moon" by Kelly Barnhill

Regardless of which account type you choose, starting early allows compounding interest to work in your favor over time.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 25, 2026

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

These faults, coupled with a lack of consistency in playing partners, is compounding the misery.

From BBC ● Aug. 9, 2026

We are also at an age when saving even a little more can have a profound effect 30 years from now, given the magic of compounding.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

"Yeah," I said, and I felt fear rush in, compounding my guilt.

From "We Are Okay" by Nina LaCour

Related Words

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