Compounding
/kəmˈpaʊndɪŋ/
Definitions
3 meaningsTo make something bad worse; to add to.
/kəmˈpaʊndɪŋ/
To make something worse or more intense.
The lack of rain is compounding the drought conditions.
💡 Simply: Imagine you spill juice on your new shirt, and then the dog steps on it – that makes the problem even worse! Compounding is when you make a bad situation even worse by adding to it.
👶 For kids: When something bad gets even worse! Like when you're already sad, and then you lose your favorite toy.
More Examples
His mistakes were compounding, leading to a major project failure.
The company's financial issues were compounded by the sudden economic downturn.
How It's Used
"High inflation is compounding the existing economic problems."
"The scandal is compounding the Prime Minister's woes."
To combine or mix multiple elements or ingredients to create a new whole.
/kəmˈpaʊndɪŋ/
To combine elements or ingredients.
The pharmacist compounded a specific cream to treat the patient's skin condition.
💡 Simply: Imagine you're making a special drink by mixing juice, soda, and some fruit – that's like compounding! It means putting different things together to make something new.
👶 For kids: Mixing things together! Like when you mix paint colors to make a new color.
More Examples
The artist is known for compounding various techniques to create unique artwork.
They are compounding the ingredients for a new perfume.
How It's Used
"The chemist is compounding different chemicals to create a new substance."
"The pharmacist is compounding a specific medication for the patient."
The process of combining or mixing multiple things or elements, especially in finance (e.g., compounding interest).
/kəmˈpaʊndɪŋ/
The act of combining two or more things.
The power of compounding interest is a key factor in long-term investments.
💡 Simply: Think of saving money. If you get interest on your savings, and then you also get interest on the interest, that's compounding! It's like things growing over time by adding to themselves.
👶 For kids: When little things get bigger and bigger by adding more to themselves! Like when you save money, and you get more money on top of the money you already had.
More Examples
Compounding the ingredients can produce more effective products.
The compounding of different economic factors led to this crisis.
How It's Used
"The benefits of compounding interest are significant over time."
"Compounding sales figures allows for accurate growth projection."
Synonyms & Antonyms
Antonyms
Idioms & expressions
compounding the felony
A legal term for the act of agreeing not to prosecute a person for a crime in exchange for something of value, often money. This is itself considered a crime.
"The lawyer was accused of compounding the felony by accepting a bribe to drop the charges."
From Middle English *compounen* meaning 'to combine', from Old French *componer* and Latin *componere* meaning 'to put together, to compose'.
The term 'compounding' has been used in both financial and medical contexts since the 16th century.
Memory tip
Think of adding ingredients to a cake recipe – if you add the wrong ingredients, you're compounding the problem!
Word Origin
"to put together; to combine"