Jump To:

• par
  par
• par-
  par-

  variant of para- before a vowel.
• par.
  par.

  abbreviation

  paragraph.
• Par.
  Par.

  abbreviation

  Paraguay

par

¹ American  

[pahr] / pɑr /

noun

• pars
  plural

1. Finance.

   1. the legally established value of the monetary unit of one country in terms of that of another using the same metal as a standard of value.

   2. the state of the shares of any business, undertaking, loan, etc., when they may be purchased at the original price issue par or at their face value nominal par.

2. an equality in value or standing; a level of equality.

   The gains and the losses are on a par.

3. an average, usual, or normal amount, degree, quality, condition, standard, or the like.

   above par;

   to feel below par.

4. Golf. the number of strokes set as a standard for a specific hole or a complete course.

---

adjective

1. average or normal.

2. Finance. at or pertaining to par.

   the par value of a bond.

verb (used with object)

parred, parring

1. Golf. to equal par on (a hole or course).

idioms

1. at par, (of a share) purchasable at issue par or nominal par.

2. par for the course, exactly what one might expect; predictable; typical.

   They were late again, but that's par for the course.

par ² American  

[pahr] / pɑr /

adjective

Insurance.

1. of or relating to participating insurance.

---

par- ³ American  

1. variant of para- before a vowel.

   parenchyma.

---

par. ⁴ American  

abbreviation

1. paragraph.

2. parallel.

3. parenthesis.

4. parish.

---

par ¹ British  

/ pɑː /

noun

1. an accepted level or standard, such as an average (esp in the phrase up to par )

2. a state of equality (esp in the phrase on a par with )

3. finance the established value of the unit of one national currency in terms of the unit of another where both are based on the same metal standard

4. commerce

   1. See par value

   2. the condition of equality between the current market value of a share, bond, etc, and its face value (the nominal par ). This equality is indicated by at par, while above ( or below ) par indicates that the market value is above (or below) face value

5. golf an estimated standard score for a hole or course that a good player should make

   par for the course was 72

6. not feeling or performing as well as normal

7. an expected or normal occurrence or situation

---

adjective

1. average or normal

2. (usually prenominal) commerce of or relating to par

   par value

par. ² British  

abbreviation

1. paragraph

2. parenthesis

3. parish

---

Par. ³ British  

abbreviation

1. Paraguay

---

par- ⁴ British  

prefix

1. a variant of para- 1

---

par More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing par

• below par
• on a par with
• up to par

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• pars
  plural

Etymology

Origin of par¹

First recorded in 1600–10; from Latin pār “matching, equal”

Origin of par²

Shortening of participating

Explanation

In golf, par is the average number of times an excellent player needs to hit the ball, either for one particular hole or for the entire course. You might describe the fourth hole, for example, as being par five. If a golf course is par sixteen, it takes a really good golfer about sixteen strokes to get her ball into the final hole. From the sports meaning of par, it's come to also mean "average" or "equivalent," especially in phrases like "under par," or "worse than expected," and "par for the course," or "what is normal given the circumstances." This definition actually came first, in the form of the Latin par, "equal."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

par par- par. Par. pars parred parring

For adults, their creative output with ChatGPT was generally on par with the creativity level they’d shown on the test.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026

And on the very first hole, Stark conjured the shot of the competition so far, her approach to the green on the par four dropping straight into the cup for an eagle.

From Barron's ● Sep. 12, 2026

A bond trading at a premium to par will have a current yield below the coupon.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026

The par threes are also likely to generate plenty of drama, especially the 15th where matches will reach a crucial stage.

From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026

But it should be obvious that not all beliefs are on a par with one another, and that the causes of their credibility vary greatly.

From "The Invention of Science" by David Wootton

Docking can be called for in recipes where par- or blind-baking the crust is required.

From Washington Post ● Jun. 3, 2022

But when par- or blind-baking, not every type of crust needs to be docked.

From Washington Post ● Jun. 3, 2022

We need to par- ticipate, and we need to be heard.

From MSNBC ● Sep. 9, 2014

But if the individual par- ticipants in the  boom went unnoticed, their impact  did not.

From MSNBC ● Jun. 4, 2014

It must be true because Uncle Herman use to sleep in our house all the time when he was out of werk on the old sofa in the par- ler.

From "Flowers for Algernon" by Daniel Keyes

“You still had guys shooting way over par. I think that just shows how good of a course this is, how it rewards good golf and bad golf still gets penalized.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 16, 2023

Billy Horschel was the only player in the 39-man field who failed to break par. shooting 76.

From Seattle Times ● Jan. 5, 2023

"When an enemy starts to act irrationally, you need to make sure the defences of your own country are up to par. In the Canadian Arctic, that's a problem - we haven't done enough."

From BBC ● Mar. 24, 2022

“Had an emotional break down the night before finals and my mental health and clarity just hasn’t been on par. Looking forward to some time off and self care.”

From New York Times ● Feb. 8, 2022

At the first command the odd numbers ride 4 yards directly to the front, regulating on the right, and all the troopers execute the movements and take the final position prescribed in par. 192a-a.

From Manual for Noncommissioned Officers and Privates of Cavalry of the Army of the United States 1917 to be also used by Engineer Companies (Mounted) for Cavalry Instruction and Training by U. S. War Department

The chief were the Uberti, whose Par. xvi.

From Villani's Chronicle Being Selections from the First Nine Books of the Croniche Fiorentine of Giovanni Villani by Giovanni Villani

And still in the time of the said Pope, after the same manner began the Order of the Preaching Friars, the founder whereof was the blessed Par. xi. 118-123; xii. 46-105.

From Villani's Chronicle Being Selections from the First Nine Books of the Croniche Fiorentine of Giovanni Villani by Giovanni Villani

Charles Martel was Par. viii. 64-66. crowned king of Hungary.

From Villani's Chronicle Being Selections from the First Nine Books of the Croniche Fiorentine of Giovanni Villani by Giovanni Villani

To these we can only reply that, if it is not implied by Par., viii.

From Dante: His Times and His Work by Arthur John Butler

The central cone of Misti has been variously estimated to range from 17,240 to 19,000 Par. feet.

From Volcanoes: Past and Present by Edward Hull

"He was making a lot of pars and then obviously at the end Kurt did what he did and Adam posted and I started to make a couple birdies," McIlroy said.

From Barron's ● Feb. 23, 2026

“I’m trying to keep the same mindset,” Morikawa said after six birdies, nine pars and three bogeys left him in a six-way tie for fifth at three under.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 19, 2026

Volatility matters too—because of the format, a player who birdies half the holes and bogeys the other half can be more valuable than someone who cards 18 pars.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 26, 2025

However, she was unable to build any real momentum during her opening round and some solid putting for pars and bogeys prevented irretrievable damage to her tournament chances.

From BBC ● Jul. 31, 2025

It is almost impossible to tighten the orbicularis oculi, pars orbitalis on demand, and it is equally difficult to stop it from tightening when we smile at something genuinely pleasurable.

From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell

Penge missed the fairway at No. 2, took a one-stroke penalty and bogeyed, while Bridgeman parred to take sole possession of the lead.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 21, 2026

When play resumed, Korda had a three-stroke lead over South Korea's Amy Yang, who parred 17 and 18 on Sunday to seize second on 206 with a closing 69.

From Barron's ● Feb. 1, 2026

DeChambeau, who started the day two back, parred the first hole to forge the tie.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 13, 2025

Failing to pick up a birdie on the par-five 12th, McIlroy parred 13 and 14 before a rollercoaster finish.

From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2024

Parred, quotes “ȝe are parred in . . . ȝe are so spered in.”

From The Lay of Havelok the Dane by Unknown

Fox had a late scare at the 17th but managed to limit the damage to just one dropped shot before safely parring the last.

From Seattle Times ● Oct. 2, 2022

Kelly shot 65, also parring the final two holes.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2018

Defending champ Brendan Steele is one back, and Chesson Hadley, who flirted with 59 before parring his last two holes to shoot 61, is in third at 11 under.

From Golf Digest ● Oct. 6, 2017

When it was Spieth’s turn, he started slowly, making a birdie on the first hole but then parring the next three holes before making birdies at Nos.

From New York Times ● Jul. 19, 2015

He hit every fairway after that, picking up that crucial birdie at No. 14 and parring his way home.

From Washington Times ● Jul. 18, 2014