compile

verb

com·​pile kəm-ˈpī(-ə)l 

compiled; compiling

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

• anthologize
• collect

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

The intrigue: The Builders of Hope toolkit took seven years to compile, using historical context, census data, input from dozens of people and a 10-year study tracking neighborhood change. —Naheed Rajwani-Dharsi, Axios, 9 Dec. 2024

New analysis from the World Population Review highlights which countries are the most at risk of a population decline, and Newsweek has compiled the data into a new map. —Paul Du Quenoy, Newsweek, 9 Dec. 2024

Details of her allegations about the October 2017 incident were compiled in a Monterey Police Department report released last month. —Oren Oppenheim, ABC News, 6 Dec. 2024

Their five-on-five heat map, compiled by HockeyViz, shows how glaring the net front issue is. —Matthew Fairburn, The Athletic, 30 Nov. 2024

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

Kids Definition

compile

verb

com·​pile kəm-ˈpīl 

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