Compile Definition & Meaning | Britannica Dictionary (original) (raw)

Britannica Dictionary definition of COMPILE

[+ object]

1

a

:

to create (a CD, book, list, etc.) by gathering things (such as songs or pieces of writing or information)

• He compiled a book of poems.
• She compiled a list of names.

b

:

to put together (various songs, pieces of writing, facts, etc.) in a publication or collection

• They took the best submissions and compiled them in a single issue of the magazine.
• We compiled our findings in the report.

2

computers

:

to change (computer programming instructions) into a form the computer can understand and use

• a compiled program

— compiler

/kəmˈpaɪlɚ/

noun,

plural

compilers

[count]