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• 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.

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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

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Etymology

Origin of par¹

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

Origin of par²

Shortening of participating

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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

These are all par for the course in most Greek chapters at major universities, and they make for a dangerous combination.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 13, 2026

It took the club's sponsorship revenues from being on a par with Stoke City in 2008-09 to eventually overtaking those of Manchester United.

From BBC ● Oct. 13, 2026

The only tournament the golfer known as Lefty has competed in this year was LIV Golf South Africa, where he finished at 7-under par and tied for 48th place, in March.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 30, 2026

The increase puts the price of Disney’s premium streaming plans more on par with competitor Netflix, which sells its ad-free premium service for $26.99 a month.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 23, 2026

This seemed to me a mystery quite on a par with that of the yin-yang circle, but it did not last.

From "The Left Hand of Darkness" by Ursula K. Le Guin

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

“It hurts missing when you were 5 under par. Do you want any more hurts?”

From Seattle Times ● Jul. 15, 2022

"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

“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

Lessons 1 and 4 Notes on Bayonet Training   1.30-3.30 p.m. pars. 175-198, 1-61 S.A.F.M. 7.00-9.00 p.m. par. 792-798 I.D.R. par. 1-61 S.A.F.M.

From Military Instructors Manual by Oliver Schoonmaker

And after the great battle between Par. vi.

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

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

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

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

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

Figure 11, Par. 1867a, gives the normal scale of M. D.'s for slopes up to 8 degrees.

From Manual of Military Training Second, Revised Edition by James A. (James Alfred) Moss

Jeeno, the defending champion, reeled off nine birdies and nine pars in a flawless second round at Tiburon Golf Club in Naples, Florida, to move to 14 under at the halfway stage.

From Barron's ● Nov. 21, 2025

Nine pars followed though before he finished bogey-double bogey.

From BBC ● Nov. 16, 2025

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

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

He resumed play with a 6-foot birdie and then parred out to finish a round of 65 at the Colonial course that has been fully restored since last year’s event.

From Seattle Times ● May 24, 2024

After bogeying the first hole, Kim parred the next five before back-to-back-to-back birdies at seven, eight and nine.

From Los Angeles Times ● May 15, 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

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

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 5, 2023

He had a solid start Sunday, parring the first and third holes, both par-fours, while birdieing the par-five second hole to move to six under for the tournament.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 10, 2022

“If you spare a lot, it’s like parring all the holes,” said Straub, summoning another golf analogy.

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

Woods wasn't in a good spot, but he had a shot and he wound up parring the hole to secure his third straight major championship on his way to the Tiger Slam.

From Golf Digest ● Oct. 16, 2013

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