compiler

noun

com·​pil·​er kəm-ˈpī-lər 

1

: one that compiles

2

: a computer program that translates an entire set of instructions written in a higher-level symbolic language (such as C) into machine language before the instructions can be executed

Examples of compiler in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Perhaps as fundamental as the birth of the IBM PC, the creation of Linux, or (for the more technically minded) the arrival of compilers that converted low-level software like machine code and assembly language into executable programs. —Adrian Bridgwater, Forbes, 3 Dec. 2024

Making use of such algorithms might be made easier for a broader range of coders because of quantum compilers that Microsoft and others are working on. —IEEE Spectrum, 22 June 2016

All of this will need to be handled by Microsoft's compiler, which converts Q# code into hardware-specific commands that perform operations with qubits, whether that means moving ions or exposing the qubits to microwaves. —John Timmer, Ars Technica, 10 Sep. 2024

There were game mechanics, of course, but 80s or 90s IF was more like writing poetry than programming an arcade game, even if a compiler was involved. —Anna Washenko, Ars Technica, 20 June 2024

Word History

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

compiler

noun

com·​pil·​er kəm-ˈpī-lər 

1

: one that compiles

2

: a computer program that automatically translates an entire set of instructions written in a computer programming language (as BASIC) into machine language