compile

v. to collect information, facts, or items from different places and put them together into a list, book, or report.

v. to produce a work by assembling information or materials from various sources. Transitive — requires a direct object such as a list, report, or database.

“The researchers had to compile a list of all the plants found in the forest.”

“The department spent several months compiling a comprehensive database of historical records to support the new policy initiative.”

Academic

v. to use a special computer program to turn instructions written by a person into a form the computer can run.

v. to convert source code written in a high-level programming language into machine code or an executable format using a compiler.

“It took a few minutes for the computer to compile the new software.”

“The developer was frustrated because the script failed to compile due to a minor syntax error in the header file.”

Technical

n. the process of a computer turning code into a working program.

n. the execution of a compilation process in software development.

“The latest compile was successful and the app is now ready to test.”

“After optimizing the source files, the total time required for a full compile was reduced by thirty percent.”

Technical · Informal