par

[ pahr ]

/ pɑr /

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See synonyms for par on Thesaurus.com

noun

an equality in value or standing; a level of equality: The gains and the losses are on a par.

an average, usual, or normal amount, degree, quality, condition, standard, or the like: above par; to feel below par.

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

Finance.

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.
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 ).

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

adjective

average or normal.

Finance. at or pertaining to par: the par value of a bond.

verb (used with object), parred, par·ring.

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

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Idioms for par

par for the course, exactly what one might expect; typical: They were late again, but that's par for the course.

Origin of par

First recorded in 1615–25, par is from the Latin word pār equal

Definition for par (2 of 4)

par²

[ pahr ]

/ pɑr /

adjective Insurance.

of or relating to participating insurance.

Origin of par

Shortening of participating

Definition for par (3 of 4)

par-

variant of para-¹ before a vowel: parenchyma.

Definition for par (4 of 4)

par.

abbreviation

paragraph.

parallel.

parenthesis.

parish.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021

Example sentences from the Web for par

The amount of work to bring your page experience up to par will depend on the amount of investment that has already been poured into it.
What to evaluate ahead of Google’s Page Experience update|George Nguyen|November 18, 2020|Search Engine Land
Transfer the cooled pie filling to the par-baked crust and place in the oven.
Decorate this caramel apple pie with festive, buttery pastry cutouts|Erin Jeanne McDowell|November 12, 2020|Washington Post
His best Masters finish came just last year, when he closed with 68 to tie for second behind Woods, and he has been at par or better in 13 of his past 16 rounds at Augusta.
Who can win the Masters, who can but won’t and who to pick in your pool|Barry Svrluga|November 11, 2020|Washington Post
In other words, a 4-point polling error is somewhat par for the course, although maybe you could call it a bogey.
The Polls Weren’t Great. But That’s Pretty Normal.|Nate Silver (nrsilver@fivethirtyeight.com)|November 11, 2020|FiveThirtyEight

As with DeChambeau, if he can figure out Augusta’s greens and avoid another bad start — Thomas has shot over par in the first round in all four appearances — he could challenge.
Masters picks: The best bets to put on the green jacket|Matt Bonesteel|November 11, 2020|Washington Post

British Dictionary definitions for par (1 of 4)

par

/ (pɑː) /

noun

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

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

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

commerce

See par value
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

golf an estimated standard score for a hole or course that a good player should makepar for the course was 72

below par or under par not feeling or performing as well as normal

par for the course an expected or normal occurrence or situation