An act of compiling code.
"The developer ran the command to compile the source files into executable software."
use a computer program to translate source code written in a particular programming language into computer-readable machine code that can be executed
"The compiler translated the C++ source file into optimized machine code ready for execution."
To put together; to assemble; to make by gathering things from various sources.
"The editor compiled a comprehensive report by gathering statistics from dozens of different surveys."
In plain English: To compile means to gather different pieces of information together into a single organized list or report.
"The programmer spent all day compiling the code so he could run his new app on his phone."
Usage: Use compile primarily when referring to assembling information, data, or reports from multiple distinct sources into a single collection. Avoid using it for physical objects that are simply stacked or put together without the element of synthesis and selection.
The word compile comes from the Latin verb compilare, which originally meant to plunder. It traveled into English through Old French and Middle English before taking on its modern sense of gathering information together.