Word
compound
Phoneticscom·pound, stress on the first syllable
/ˈkɑmpaʊnd/
Definitions
01chemical substance
B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun Science Academic
n. a substance made when two or more chemical elements are joined together.
n. a substance formed from two or more elements chemically united in fixed proportions.
日本語:化合物※
Español:compuesto
“Water is a chemical compound made of hydrogen and oxygen.”
“The laboratory technician synthesized a new organic compound that showed promise in inhibiting bacterial growth during the initial trials.”
Usage
Often used with 'chemical' or 'organic'.
Antonyms
02fenced area
B2 · Upper Intermediate Countable noun
n. an area of land that contains a group of buildings and is surrounded by a fence or wall.
n. a fenced or walled enclosure containing a group of buildings, often for residential, military, or industrial purposes.
日本語:構内※
“The embassy staff lives in a secure compound near the city center.”
“The humanitarian mission established a fortified compound to protect the medical supplies and provide safe housing for the international volunteers.”
03linguistics
C1 · Advanced Countable noun Science Academic · Technical
n. a word made by joining two or more existing words together.
n. a lexeme consisting of more than one stem, functioning as a single semantic unit.
“The word 'notebook' is a compound made from 'note' and 'book'.”
“In Germanic languages, the formation of complex compounds is a productive morphological process that allows for the creation of highly specific nouns.”
Usage
Commonly refers to 'compound words'.
Synonyms
04to make worse
B2 · Upper Intermediate
v. to make a difficult situation or problem even worse.
v. to intensify or exacerbate a negative situation or problem by adding further complications.
Español:agravar
“The heavy rain will only compound the traffic problems today.”
“The central bank's failure to adjust interest rates served only to compound the existing inflationary pressures within the domestic economy.”
Synonyms
05finance
C1 · Advanced Mathematics Technical
v. to calculate interest on both the original amount of money and the interest already earned.
v. to calculate interest on the principal sum plus the accumulated interest of previous periods.
“The interest on your savings account will compound every month.”
“Investors often underestimate the power of wealth to compound over several decades when dividends are consistently reinvested into the portfolio.”
Usage
Often used as 'compounded interest' or 'to compound annually'.
Synonyms
06made of parts
B2 · Upper Intermediate Academic
adj. consisting of two or more parts or elements.
adj. composed of two or more separate elements; not simple or singular in structure.
“A compound leaf has several small leaflets joined to a single stem.”
“The architect proposed a compound structure that utilized both steel and reinforced concrete to achieve the necessary load-bearing capacity.”
Collocations
Common phrases and expressions where native English speakers use the word “compound” in context.
Verb
01. break into the compound
“Security guards were alerted when a group of protesters tried to break into the compound.”
verb + prep + noun
02. calculate compound interest
“The bank uses a specific formula to calculate compound interest on your savings account.”
verb + adj + noun
03. compound the problem
“His refusal to apologize only served to compound the problem further.”
verb + noun
Adjective
04. chemical compound
“Water is a chemical compound consisting of hydrogen and oxygen atoms.”
adj + noun
05. compound noun
“In the phrase 'bus stop', 'bus stop' is a common compound noun.”
adj + noun
06. military compound
“The soldiers returned to the military compound after completing their patrol.”
adj + noun
Noun
07. walls of the compound
“High walls of the compound protected the residents from the surrounding noise.”
noun + of + noun
Real-World Examples
“That smoky flavor can also be created by using liquid smoke , which is made by capturing smoke from burning wood and mixing its flavor compounds into a liquid.” “Outside the compound gate, neighbourhood children stand on tiptoe, peering through the entrance as the singing spills into the street.” “Researchers suspect natural citrus compounds such as hesperidin may be partly responsible.” “The mushroom Psilocybe pelliculosa is one of several species that produce psilocybin, a natural compound with hallucinogenic properties.” Etymology
Possibly from Malay kampong, kampung (“group of buildings, village”), via Dutch or Portuguese, altered under the influence of Etymology 2. Doublet of kampung.
From Middle English compounen, from Middle French componre, compondre (“to put together”), from Latin componō, from Latin com- (“together”) + ponō (“to put”).
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Word family
NOUN
Domains
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.B2 FirstIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.5.5–6.5TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 4.0–4.572–94TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.785–944
- Frequency
- Common
- Level
- B2 · Upper IntermediateOxford
- Updated
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QR code
englishreference.com/q/compound
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「日本語」 data: JMdict (EDRDG), CC BY-SA 4.0
Traducciones: Kaikki.org (Wiktionary), CC BY-SA 4.0