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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

“On 16 I had an eight-footer for par that lipped out and she parred, so now all of a sudden I’m down one,” said Phillips, who finished with three birdies, an eagle and four bogeys.

From Los Angeles Times ● Nov. 6, 2026

Data from these states shows an increase in votes cast by Hispanic and black communities, while voting among white people is on par with 2022 early voting figures.

From BBC ● Oct. 29, 2026

As of Wednesday, the forward price-to-earnings ratio for the healthcare sector was roughly on par with the tech sector, despite tech firms seeing much stronger earnings growth.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 28, 2026

They might also reassure parents that Iowa’s childhood cancer rate is roughly on par with the rest of the U.S.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 21, 2026

His agility is on par with the top students at Drake.

From "Legend" by Marie Lu

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

“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

“I think I only really had to save one par. Solid irons.”

From Seattle Times ● Feb. 24, 2023

“I feel it’s justified if the quality keeps going up and is up to par. The same goes for any candy, costumes and decorations out there, which I feel have also gone up price-wise.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 6, 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

The movements described in this paragraph are among those referred to in par. 468-b.

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

And after him, in the month of September following, Cardinal Piero Spagnuolo was elected Pope, which was called Pope John Par. xii.

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

Of the Ghibellines of the said sesto, the house of the Scolari which were by origin fellows to the Bondelmonti, the house of Par. xvi.

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

But when we find such an unusual thought as that in Par., viii.

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

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

He had three birdies and six pars on the back nine for a 68 in the second round to get to even par and was among 51 in the 72-player field to make the cut.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 20, 2026

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

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

Then he used his frontalis, pars lateralis, to raise the outer half of his eyebrows.

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

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

He parred the 18th after birdieing the previous three holes.

From Seattle Times ● Jun. 2, 2024

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

From The Lay of Havelok the Dane by Unknown

McIlory remained steady, parring the final seven holes, but failed to gain ground.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 21, 2026

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

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 5, 2023

“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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