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

And the money was on par with the jobs she had held at the various textile plants that once dominated this rural stretch of South Carolina.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026

Organizers hoped the shows would draw 250,000 attendees and inaugurate the city as a home for jazz events on par with New Orleans and Montreal.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 18, 2026

SpaceX last week unveiled Grok 4.6, which is roughly on par with OpenAI’s GPT-5.6 Sol model but is not as strong as Anthropic’s top Claude models.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 17, 2026

Alison Fuller from Epilepsy Action said it is a "scandal" on par with infected blood and Post Office Horizon scandals.

From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026

Even Holly’s beacon was a few shades below par, and that had a micro nuclear battery sending out the pulses.

From "Artemis Fowl" by Eoin Colfer

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

From Washington Post ● Jun. 3, 2022

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

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

Mamita uses these sambos to make dessert on special occasions, but this year has been a par- ticularly good year for sambos, and there are more than we could possibly use.

From "The Queen of Water" by Laura Resau

“There was some talk that our defense and goalkeeping weren’t up to par. But I think we’ve silenced a lot of critics,” Cubarsí said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 15, 2026

“Firstly, we bowled and fielded well. We thought they were par. … De Leede’s innings was awesome, just needed someone to be with him.”

From Washington Times ● Oct. 6, 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

The principle of the movement is explained in par. 329a-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

In the sesto of Oltrarno, of the Guelfs were the Nerli, gentlemen, who dwelt at first Par. xv.

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

As to this Count Guido, it is said that in ancient times his forbears were Par. xvi.

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

For the which thing the said Pope Leo, with his cardinals and general council, with the consent of the Romans, by reason of the virtuous and holy deeds done by the said Par. vi.

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

Par. and Hoveden, of the king’s visit to Hugh bishop of Lincoln, who lay sick of a fever at the Old Temple, and died there, the 16th November, A. D. 1200.

From The History of the Knights Templars, the Temple Church, and the Temple by Charles G. Addison

For "Ind. Par. i. 543.," read "Ind. Par. i 343."

From Notes and Queries, Number 61, December 28, 1850 by Various

"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

A bogey on No. 6 was followed by two pars and three consecutive birdies that stretched the margin to six.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2025

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

Aside from his eagle-birdie burst, 13 pars had kept him clear of the chasing pack.

From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2025

Watch a baby just as he or she starts to cry, and you’ll often see the frontalis, pars medialis shoot up as if it were on a string.

From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell

Making his tournament debut, Bridgeman carded four birdies on the back nine, the last at No. 17, to pull even with McIlroy at five under and parred the 18th.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 19, 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

And 22-year-old Thitikul, the world number two who prefers to be known as Jeeno because "I think it's unique and easier than Atthaya", parred the last to finish one clear of Woad.

From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2025

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

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 13, 2025

Compare the past participles osed, 971, mixed, 2533, parred, 2439, gadred, 2577; reft, 1367, wend, 2138, hyd, 1059; told, 1036, sold, 1638, wrouth = wrout, 1352.

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

After parring 15, he knocks in a 12-footer for birdie on No. 16 to take a three-shot lead with two holes to go.

From Golf Digest ● Mar. 29, 2020

Kelly shot 65, also parring the final two holes.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2018

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