compile

American  

[kuhm-pahyl] / kəmˈpaɪl /

verb (used with object)

compiles, present (3rd person singular) compiled, past participle, past compiling present participle

1. to put together (documents, selections, or other materials) in one book or work.

2. to make (a book, writing, or the like) of materials from various sources.

   to compile an anthology of plays; to compile a graph showing changes in profit.

3. to gather together.

   to compile data.

4. Computers. to translate (a computer program) from a high-level language into another language, usually machine language, using a compiler.

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compile British  

/ kəmˈpaɪl /

verb

1. to make or compose from other materials or sources

   to compile a list of names

2. to collect or gather for a book, hobby, etc

3. computing to create (a set of machine instructions) from a high-level programming language, using a compiler

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• precompile
  verb (used with object)
• recompile
  verb (used with object)
• uncompiled
  adjective
• well-compiled
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Participles

• compiling
  present
• compiled
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• compile
  simple
• compiles
  simple
• have compiled
  perfect
• has compiled
  perfect
• am compiling
  progressive
• are compiling
  progressive
• is compiling
  progressive
• have been compiling
  perfect progressive
• has been compiling
  perfect progressive

Past

• compiled
  simple
• had compiled
  perfect
• was compiling
  progressive
• were compiling
  progressive
• had been compiling
  perfect progressive

Future

• will compile
  simple
• will have compiled
  perfect
• will be compiling
  progressive
• will have been compiling
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of compile

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English, from Latin compīlāre “to rob, pillage, steal from another writer,” equivalent to com- “with” + -pīlāre, perhaps akin to pīla “column, pier,” pīlāre “to fix firmly, plant” (hence, “pile up, accumulate”); see com-, pile ¹

Explanation

When you compile something, like a recipe-book or a mix-tape, you put it together using things that already exist (recipes, songs). Poetry anthologies, greatest-hits albums, and world-record books are all compilations, because they're made up of things that were originally published or released somewhere else. If you want to skip out on soccer practice one day, you might compile of list of excuses.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

compile compiles compiled compiling

Postal Service to direct states to compile a list of citizens who are eligible to vote.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 27, 2026

To compile a list of the large-cap technology stocks that have fallen the most during July, we began with the components of:

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 17, 2026

The family has already spent several thousand dollars on agencies to compile and process documents.

From Barron's ● Jun. 7, 2026

“The work from creators, developers and AI builders has a common shape: massive scenes, long compile cycles, local models and datasets that no longer sit politely in the background,” Microsoft says.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 1, 2026

Bobby, dog tag entwined, managed to compile an even score, with two wins, two losses, and six draws, fretting afterward that “I didn’t do too well.”

From "Endgame" by Frank Brady

The data came from the Geneva registry and the National Agency for Cancer Registration, which compiles information from cantonal cancer registries across Switzerland.

From Science Daily ● May 15, 2026

The health department compiles the annual report from records provided by the Los Angeles County medical examiner augmented by state death certificates.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 10, 2026

Stern says he had attached a liability statement - a document often drawn up in a bankruptcy process, where a person compiles a list of all the money they owe.

From BBC ● Feb. 11, 2026

The report compiles assessments from the central bank’s regional branches, based on data and information gathered ahead of the meeting of branch general managers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 2, 2026

When he’s finished, he compiles statistics and concludes confidently that a flea’s ears are in its back legs.

From "Innumeracy: Mathematical Illiteracy and Its Consequences" by John Allen Paulos

Both figures beat the consensus of analyst expectations compiled by FactSet.

From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026

Compared with the same period a year earlier, sales grew 6% on a constant exchange rate basis and exceeded the 30.27 billion Swiss francs analysts had expected, according to a company compiled consensus.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 23, 2026

The defence barrister then asked for a pre-sentence report to be compiled by probation on his client, with the Crown confirming Victim Impact Statements will also be made.

From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026

That’s according to data compiled by University of Florida finance professor Jay Ritter.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 16, 2026

The tables made it possible to calculate the positions of the planets to an accuracy thirty times better than the tables Copernicus had compiled, and remained the standard used for generations.

From "The Scientists" by John Gribbin

Charlotin has been compiling a database of court documents containing AI hallucinations since April 2023.

From Barron's ● Jun. 15, 2026

Konecny said that Red Lobster is compiling feedback on the promotion and evaluating the results.

From The Wall Street Journal ● May 15, 2026

For the Facebook creator, his primary residence has long been an enormous Palo Alto compound, which he spent several years compiling and which is now estimated to be worth over $110 million.

From MarketWatch ● May 4, 2026

We’re also answering your questions and compiling your tips.

From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 1, 2026

I am a scholar compiling the Book of Natasha.

From "The Sun Is Also a Star" by Nicola Yoon

Related Words

• amass
• arrange
• assemble
• collect
• compose
• cull
• edit
• gather
• glean
• organize