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• par
  par

  noun
• 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.

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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.

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par- ³ American  

1. variant of para- before a vowel.

   parenchyma.

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par. ⁴ American  

abbreviation

1. paragraph.

2. parallel.

3. parenthesis.

4. parish.

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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

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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

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Par. ³ British  

abbreviation

1. Paraguay

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par- ⁴ British  

prefix

1. a variant of para- 1

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par More Idioms  

More idioms and phrases containing par

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

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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

The city typically publishes an annual tax roll of all property owners, and real-estate attorneys say the information included is par for the course.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

Agnes said she switched from oil to gas in recent years as it was cheaper but "now it's on par".

From BBC ● Jul. 26, 2026

While not on par with battling carnivorous Cyclops or world-weary witches, getting a ticket to “The Odyssey,” even after opening weekend, is a voyage filled with many obstacles.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 24, 2026

But Fox heated up right when he needed to with four birdies, a bogey and a par to round out his card.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 19, 2026

“Word’s spread all over Manifest and beyond that you’re a con man par excellence,” Shady observed.

From "Moon Over Manifest" by Clare Vanderpool

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

I will escape with Antonio, and once I’m free, I’ll call my sister and visit my par- ents and look at all my options.

From "The Queen of Water" by Laura Resau

"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

“You don’t have to shoot way under par. You just shoot a couple under each day, and you’re going to have a chance to win come Sunday.”

From Seattle Times ● Apr. 28, 2021

“It will be interesting to see how many people are under par. I’ve never hit it close. Nobody does.”

From Washington Times ● Apr. 6, 2019

Prize Tickets and Detroit Bank Bills taken in payment; such as are guaranteed are taken at par. and those of another kind at a discount.

From The Olden Time Series, Vol. 1: Curiosities of the Old Lottery Gleanings Chiefly from Old Newspapers of Boston and Salem, Massachusetts by Brooks, Henry M. (Henry Mason)

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

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

And whilst the said Hugh was-71- living, he made in Florence many knights of the family of the Giandonati, of the Pulci, of the Par. xvi. 127-132.

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

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 Villani, Giovanni

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 Villani, Giovanni

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

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

"It's tough. There is wind. There are going to be bad shots. You got to make some gritty pars in these conditions," he said.

From Barron's ● Jan. 18, 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

After five straight pars to start, Woad made six birdies and one bogey across the next 10 holes.

From BBC ● Aug. 1, 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

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

Griffin had piled on the pressure with birdies on the 15th, 16th and 17th to close within one of his playing partner but could not find another as MacIntyre safely parred the last three holes.

From BBC ● Jun. 3, 2024

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

After parring the first hole, Song bogeyed the second and birdied the third, but found herself down three shots to Cleveland’s Momoka Takahashi, who birdied the first three holes.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 7, 2024

Kuchar and Villegas each shot 66, with the 45-year-old Kuchar parring the final four holes.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 5, 2023

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

“It’s difficult to be out of a golf match if you’re parring all the holes.”

From New York Times ● Apr. 11, 2017

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