Words / C1

k-uh-m-PYL/kəmˈpaɪl/

To compile is to gather material from different sources and put it into one organised whole: a list, a report, a dataset. Collect is the everyday verb; compile stresses the assembling and arranging. In computing it also means turn source code into a program, but academic English usually means “put together.”

Meaning

To collect information and put it together.

Examples

• “He compiled a list of useful words.”
• “The researchers compiled figures from three ministries.”
• “She compiled an anthology of short essays.”

Good to know

compile + list/report/data. Everyday: collect. Noun: compilation.

Near in meaning

assemble

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