- 1a thing consisting of two or more separate things combined together
Want to learn more?
Find out which words work together and produce more natural sounding English with the Oxford Collocations Dictionary app.
- 2(chemistry) a substance formed by a chemical reaction of two or more elements in fixed amounts relative to each other Table salt is a compound of sodium and chlorine. compare element, mixture
- 3(grammar) a noun, an adjective, or a verb made of two or more words or parts of words, written as one or more words, or joined by a hyphen. Travel agent, dark-haired, and bathroom are all compounds.
- 4an area surrounded by a fence or wall in which a factory or other group of buildings stands a prison compound
Check pronunciation: compound