Meanings
present singular third person compiles · participle present compiling · participle past compiled · past compiled
- transitiveTo make by gathering pieces from various sources.
Samuel Johnson compiled one of the most influential dictionaries of the English language.
1 more example
So what is it that makes SBB (Swiss national railways) tick? In my humble opinion, two things. Firstly, a comprehensive and set-in-stone integrated timetable (incorporating trains, ferries, cable cars and buses, including the world-famous yellow 'post-autos'), compiled four years in advance and which gets tested twice before it becomes operational.
2025 October 15, Vitali Vitaliev, “The recipe for Swiss bliss”, in RAIL, number 1046, page 68 - transitivecomputingTo use a compiler to process source code and produce executable code.
After I compile this program I’ll run it and see if it works.
- intransitivecomputingTo be successfully processed by a compiler into executable code.
There must be an error in my source code because it won’t compile.
- obsoletetransitiveTo contain or comprise.
After ſo long a race as I haue run / Through Faery land, vvhich thoſe ſix books cõpile [compile] / giue leaue to reſt me being halfe fordonne, / and gather to my ſelfe nevv breath avvhile.
1595, Edmunde Spenser [i.e., Edmund Spenser], “[Amoretti.] Sonnet LXXX”, in Amoretti and Epithalamion. […], London: […] [Peter Short] for William Ponsonby, →OCLC, signature F, verso - obsoleteTo write; to compose.
They are at their leisure much given to poetry; in which they compile the praises of virtuous men and actions , satires against vice
1690, William Temple, Miscellanea. The Second Part. […], London: […] T. M. for Ri[chard] and Ra[lph] Simpson, […], →OCLC, section II, page 188
plural compiles
- computingAn act of compiling code.
Any file with an error or warning on it will be added to this smart group until the next compile.
2007, Scott Meyers, Mike Lee, MAC OS X Leopard: Beyond the Manual1 more example
[…] programming team managers assumed the "improved programs" produced through structured programming would not require as many compiles during development.
1985, Robert A Stern, An Introduction to Computers and Information Processing
Synonyms & antonyms
verbget or gather together
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Latincompīlō“to plunder”
- Old Frenchcompiler
- Middle Englishcompilen
- Englishcompile
From Middle English compilen, from Old French compiler, from Latin compīlō (“to plunder”).
More words from Middle English, Old French, Latin
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Ancient Greek συντάσσω
- συντάσσω (suntássō)assemble from a collection
Arabic تجميع, صَرَّفَ
- تجميعassemble from a collection
- صَرَّفَ (ṣarrafa)produce executable
Bulgarian съби́рам, съставям
- съби́рам (săbíram)assemble from a collection
- съставям (săstavjam)assemble from a collection
- компилирам (kompiliram)produce executable
Chinese Mandarin 編撰, 彙編 /汇编
- 編撰 (biānzhuàn)assemble from a collection
- 彙編 /汇编 (huìbiān)assemble from a collection
- 編譯 /编译 (biānyì)produce executable
Czech přeložit, kompilovat
- přeložitproduce executable
- kompilovatproduce executable
Danish kompilere
- kompilereassemble from a collection
Dutch samenstellen, compileren
- samenstellenassemble from a collection
- compilerenproduce executable
Esperanto kompili
- kompiliassemble from a collection
Finnish koota, koostaa
- kootaassemble from a collection
- koostaaassemble from a collection
- kääntääproduce executable
- kääntyäbe successfully processed by a compiler
French compiler, compiler
- compilerassemble from a collection
- compilerproduce executable
German zusammenstellen, kompilieren
- zusammenstellenassemble from a collection
- kompilierenproduce executable
Greek μεταγλωττίζω, μεταγλωττίζομαι
- μεταγλωττίζω (metaglottízo)produce executable
- μεταγλωττίζομαι (metaglottízomai)be successfully processed by a compiler
Hebrew קימפל, הִתְקַמְפֵּל
- קימפל (kimpél)produce executable
- הִתְקַמְפֵּל (hitkampél)be successfully processed by a compiler
Hungarian összeállít, fordít
- összeállítassemble from a collection
- fordítassemble from a collection
Irish tiomsaigh, tiomsaigh
- tiomsaighassemble from a collection
- tiomsaighproduce executable
Italian compilare, assemblare
- compilareassemble from a collection
- assemblareassemble from a collection
- predisporreassemble from a collection
- raccogliereassemble from a collection
- compilareproduce executable
- compilarsibe successfully processed by a compiler
Japanese 編集する, コンパイルする
- 編集する (henshū suru)assemble from a collection
- コンパイルする (konpairu suru)produce executable
Māori whakahiato
- whakahiatoassemble from a collection
Norwegian kompilere; sette sammen; samle; utarbeide
- kompilere; sette sammen; samle; utarbeideassemble from a collection
Persian فراهمیستن, ترجمیستن
- فراهمیستنassemble from a collection
- ترجمیستنassemble from a collection
- ترجمیستنproduce executable
Polish kompilować, skompilować
- kompilowaćassemble from a collection
- skompilowaćassemble from a collection
- kompilowaćproduce executable
- skompilowaćproduce executable
- kompilować siębe successfully processed by a compiler
- skompilować siębe successfully processed by a compiler
Portuguese compilar, compilar
- compilarassemble from a collection
- compilarproduce executable
Romanian alcătui (dintr-o colecție), compila
- alcătui (dintr-o colecție)assemble from a collection
- compilaassemble from a collection
- compilaproduce executable
Russian собира́ть, собра́ть
- собира́ть (sobirátʹ)assemble from a collection
- собра́ть (sobrátʹ)assemble from a collection
- составля́ть (sostavljátʹ)assemble from a collection
- соста́вить (sostávitʹ)assemble from a collection
- компили́ровать (kompilírovatʹ)produce executable
- скомпили́ровать (skompilírovatʹ)produce executable
- откомпили́ровать (otkompilírovatʹ)produce executable
- собирать (sobiratʹ)produce executable
- собрать (sobratʹ)produce executable
- компили́роваться (kompilírovatʹsja)be successfully processed by a compiler
- скомпили́роваться (skompilírovatʹsja)be successfully processed by a compiler
Spanish copilar, recopilar
- copilarassemble from a collection
- recopilarassemble from a collection
- compilarassemble from a collection
- compilarproduce executable
Swedish sammanställa, kompilera
- sammanställaassemble from a collection
- kompileraassemble from a collection
- kompileraproduce executable
- kompilerabe successfully processed by a compiler
Turkish derlemek, derlemek
- derlemekassemble from a collection
- derlemekproduce executable
Rhymes & wordplay
Rhymes with compile
Anagrams
Cite this entry
compile. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/compile
“compile.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/compile. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “compile,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/compile.
Source: compile on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.