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 (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)

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)

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

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

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”; 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

Conventional advice suggests that parents start investing for their children as early as possible — whether it’s $50 or $1,000 per month, depending on household income — so the money has longer to compound.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 9, 2026

"When capsaicin and menthol or 1,8-cineole were used together, their anti-inflammatory effect increased several hundred-fold compared to when each compound was used alone," highlights Prof. Arimura.

From Science Daily • Apr. 9, 2026

Police began to disperse Muslim worshippers at 6:30 am in order to allow religious Jews to enter the compound, causing anger in the crowd.

From Barron's • Apr. 9, 2026

In Australia, the forecast compound annual growth rate is 18%.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 9, 2026

Fifi and Manuel have already taken off, and we've got a couple of hours to kill before they get back and we can return to the compound.

From "How the García Girls Lost Their Accents" by Julia Alvarez

Related Words

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