compound 1 of 3

noun

ˈkäm-ˌpau̇nd How to pronounce compound (audio)
Definition of compoundnext
as in mixture
a distinct entity formed by the combining of two or more different things mixed the chemicals together to form a new compound

Synonyms & Similar Words

Relevance

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

compound

2 of 3

adjective

ˈkäm-ˌpau̇nd How to pronounce compound (audio)
as in amalgamated
made from the joining of two or more parts or elements a compound word

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

compound

3 of 3

verb

käm-ˈpau̇nd How to pronounce compound (audio)
1
as in to increase
to make greater in size, amount, or number we compounded our error by waiting too long to call for help

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms
2
as in to connect
to put or bring together so as to form a new and longer whole the German language's propensity for compounding words

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

Example Sentences

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.
Recent Examples of compound
Noun
But at least one compound, vinyl chloride, found in a rainbow dumpling squishy made by Really Magical Stuff (RMS), isn’t considered safe at any level. — Jackie Flynn Mogensen, Scientific American, 13 Aug. 2026 Sesame seeds also contain unique plant compounds called lignans, particularly sesamin and sesamolin, along with vitamin E and other antioxidant compounds that help protect cells from oxidative stress. — Daryl Austin, USA Today, 12 Aug. 2026
Adjective
Spotify expects revenue to grow at a compound annual growth rate in the mid-teens and laid out plans to reach 1 billion subscribers. — Christina Cheddar Berk,michelle Fox, CNBC, 21 May 2026 Most of that is compound growth. — Teresa Ghilarducci, Boston Herald, 18 May 2026
Verb
Daily life has turned into a tangle of compounding crises families have to unravel. — Andrea Rodriguez, Fortune, 7 Aug. 2026 Absent smart, effective, and coordinated government regulation—and a slowing of deployment—these risks will only compound the social costs already piling up. — Michael Posner, Forbes.com, 7 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for compound
Recent Examples of Synonyms for compound
  1. mixture
  2. amalgamated
  3. increase
  4. connect
  5. blend
  6. composite
  7. accelerate
  8. couple
Noun
  • Pieces are hand-breaded in a gluten-free flour and spice mixture.
    — Linda Zavoral, Mercury News, 11 Aug. 2026
  • As Ross immediately calls out, this mixture of a child’s game with a sense of politesse, set to a stately, period-appropriate Vivaldi concerto, absolutely does feel like a game that might have been played in an 18th-century court.
    — Tasha Robinson, Vulture, 11 Aug. 2026
Definition of mixture
Adjective
  • Traitors is about the gullible and the skeptical working together to sieve the fraudulent from the truthful, an amalgamated nightmare of village idiots locking themselves in the stocks and pelting each other with rotten fruit.
    — Raven Smith, Vogue, 9 Jan. 2026
Definition of amalgamated
Verb
  • Corporate America has dramatically increased investment in women's sports over the past several years as leagues such as the WNBA and the National Women's Soccer League continue posting record attendance and television ratings.
    — Tim Genske, Forbes.com, 8 Aug. 2026
  • Houthis’ allies The Houthis are backed by Iran, which began increasing its aid to the group in 2014 as the civil war escalated and as its rivalry with Saudi Arabia intensified.
    — Sophie Tanno, CNN Money, 8 Aug. 2026
Definition of increase
Verb
  • Damianos also hailed the entry of French investment company Meridiam as a backer to the Great Seas Interconnector project, an electricity cable that will connect Europe’s power grid with that of Cyprus and eventually Israel.
    — ABC News, ABC News, 9 Aug. 2026
  • One of those shell casings was entered into the ATF’s National Integrated Ballistic Information Network (NIBIN), which compares shell casings and other evidence and connects them to shootings involving the same firearm.
    — Mark Morales, CNN Money, 9 Aug. 2026
Definition of connect
Noun
  • His blend of humor and pathos demands a high-wire act from his ensembles.
    — Maureen Lee Lenker, Los Angeles Times, 10 Aug. 2026
  • Road trippers can spend the night at Red Cliffs Lodge Zion, A Tribute Portfolio Hotel, where award-winning interior design blends seamlessly with the panoramic sights of towering red rock and radiant fall foliage.
    — Roger Sands, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026
Definition of blend
Adjective
  • Propulsion, flight software, avionics, reaction wheels, star trackers, separation system, solar arrays, radios, composite structures, fuel tanks, and other components are all integrated into a compact frame.
    — Abhimanyu Ghoshal, New Atlas, 9 Aug. 2026
  • These new composite images were released by NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) and taken on July 2, 2026, the 1,907th Martian day of Perseverance's mission.
    — Brett Tingley, Space.com, 6 Aug. 2026
Definition of composite
Verb
  • Despite their mass, the mammals do know how to accelerate in water and on land.
    — Dennis Romero, NBC news, 8 Aug. 2026
  • In 2020, scientists found that combining snail slime from a common garden snail with gold nanoparticles helped accelerate wound healing and exhibited anti-inflammatory properties in mice.
    — Jennifer Ouellette, ArsTechnica, 7 Aug. 2026
Definition of accelerate
Verb
  • Keep the model layer, retrieval layer, semantic layer and integration layer loosely coupled wherever possible.
    — Harini Gopalakrishnan, Forbes.com, 6 Aug. 2026
  • The Chiefs’ best path to making Mahomes more effective, therefore, is to couple his ability with something that’s effective.
    — Sam McDowell July 31, Kansas City Star, 31 July 2026
Definition of couple

Browse Nearby Words

composure
compound
compounded
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Compound.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/compound. Accessed 15 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation

More from Merriam-Webster on compound

Nglish: Translation of compound for Spanish Speakers

Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about compound

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Words of the Week - Aug. 14

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All