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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

McIlroy had been handed the sanction for improving his lie during the opening round and as a result finished day one on two under par, eight shots behind the leader, Italian Francesco Laporta.

From BBC ● Nov. 6, 2026

“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

On the eighth hole, I rolled my 6-foot par putt over a pile of sheep manure smoothed over by my right foot.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 25, 2026

For the S&P 500 to deliver returns on par with its historical performance, tech stocks — which carry a weighting in the index of just under 40% — will likely need to participate.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 25, 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

England captain Harry Brook: "We were quite happy with 300. We thought they were slightly under par. It got dewy as we thought it would do. We were pretty happy at halfway."

From BBC ● Oct. 20, 2026

“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

“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

“I’ll definitely take a round of two under par. ”

From New York Times ● Apr. 8, 2021

At the second command the troopers execute, simultaneously, the movements prescribed in par. 192b-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

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

Thus it came to pass that the said frays endured Par. xv.

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

This lady was named Gualdrada, and he took her for her Par. xvi. 94-99.

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 straightway the Pope appointed as legate to follow up this 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

"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

“I’m trying to keep the same mindset,” Morikawa said after six birdies, nine pars and three bogeys left him in a six-way tie for fifth at three under.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 19, 2026

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

A 15-foot birdie putt on the 16th - a hole named Calamity Corner - took him to 14 under and two closing pars cemented his lead.

From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2025

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

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

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

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

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

I ended up birdieing 14, parring 15, hit a bad drive on 16 and made another bogey, then parred in.

From Golf Digest ● Jun. 9, 2014

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