compile

verb

com·​pile kəm-ˈpī(-ə)l How to pronounce compile (audio)
compiled; compiling
Synonyms of compilenext

transitive verb

1
: to compose out of materials from other documents
compile a statistical chart
2
: to collect and edit into a volume
compile a book of poems
3
: to build up gradually
compiled a record of four wins and two losses
4
: to run (something, such as a program) through a compiler

Synonyms of compile

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Examples of compile in a Sentence

He compiled a book of poems. She compiled a list of names. They took the best submissions and compiled them in a single issue of the magazine. We compiled our findings in the report.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Bumila is a real-deal blue chipper who has compiled a resume few from the Boston area have ever matched. — Mac Cerullo, Boston Herald, 5 July 2026 Hope missed the first test due to a shoulder injury in training but returned and compiled his hundred — his third in his last five tests — off 199 balls. — ABC News, 6 July 2026 Jones based his decision on a review of the case file compiled by state police investigators, according to a news release from the agency. — Grant Lancaster, Arkansas Online, 6 July 2026 And after nearly two decades in the industry Goldfarb has compiled dozens that could fall into this vaunted subcategory. — Brad Japhe, Forbes.com, 7 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for compile

Word History

Etymology

Middle English, from Anglo-French compiler, from Latin compilare to plunder

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of compile was in the 14th century

Rhymes for compile

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Browse Nearby Words

compilatory
compile
compiled
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Cite this Entry

“Compile.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/compile. Accessed 9 Jul. 2026.

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Kids Definition

compile

verb
com·​pile kəm-ˈpīl How to pronounce compile (audio)
compiled; compiling
1
: to collect into a volume or list
compile a book of poems
2
: to put together in a new form out of materials from other books or documents
compile a history of India
3
: to translate (as a computer program) with a compiler

More from Merriam-Webster on compile

Nglish: Translation of compile for Spanish Speakers

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