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⇱ parallel - WordReference.com Dictionary of English

parallel

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UK:**UK and possibly other pronunciationsUK and possibly other pronunciations/ˈpærəlɛl/US:USA pronunciation: IPA and respellingUSA pronunciation: IPA/ˈpærəˌlɛl, -ləl/ ,USA pronunciation: respelling(par′ə lel′, -ləl)

Inflections of 'parallel' (v): (⇒ conjugate)
When both "l" and "ll" forms exist, spellings with a double "l" are correct, but rare, in US English, while those with a single "l" are not correct in UK English.
parallels
v 3rd person singular
parallelling
v pres p (Mainly UK)
paralleling
v pres p (US)
parallelled
v past (Mainly UK)
paralleled
v past (US)
parallelled
v past p (Mainly UK)
paralleled
v past p (US)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2026
par•al•lel /ˈpærəˌlɛl, -ləl/USA pronunciation   adj., n., v., -leled, -lel•ing or (esp. Brit.) -lelled, -lel•ling, adv. 
adj. 
  1. (of two or more items) lined up in the same direction, never meeting or spreading apart:parallel rows of chairs.[be + ~ + to]The highway was parallel to the old country road for a few miles.
  2. having the same direction, tendency, or course:parallel interests.
  3. Computing
    • Computingof or relating to operations within a computer performed at the same time:parallel processing.
    • Computingrelating to or supporting the transfer of electronic data by several bits at a time:a parallel printer.

n. 
  1. Mathematics[countable] a parallel line or plane.
  2. anything parallel or comparable in direction, course, nature, or tendency to something else: [countable]parallels between human sacrifice and the Christian rite of Holy Communion.[uncountable]a case that has no parallel.
  3. Place Names[countable] any of the imaginary lines on the earth's surface, parallel to the equator, that mark latitude.
  4. Electricity an arrangement of an electrical circuit in which all positive terminals are connected to one point and all negative ones to another:[uncountable]batteries arranged in parallel.

v. [~ + object]
  1. to provide a parallel for;
    match;
    equal:The rate of inflation paralleled the price of oil.
  2. to be in a parallel course to:The road parallels the river.

adv. 
  1. in a parallel course or manner:The river runs parallel to the main street.
par•al•lel•ism, n. [uncountable]

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2026
par•al•lel  (par′ə lel′, -ləl),USA pronunciation adj., n., v., -leled, -lel•ing or (esp. Brit.) -lelled, -lel•ling. 
adj. 
  1. extending in the same direction, equidistant at all points, and never converging or diverging:parallel rows of trees.
  2. having the same direction, course, nature, or tendency;
    corresponding;
    similar;
    analogous:Canada and the U.S. have many parallel economic interests.
  3. Mathematics[Geom.]
    • (of straight lines) lying in the same plane but never meeting no matter how far extended.
    • (of planes) having common perpendiculars.
    • (of a single line, plane, etc.) equidistant from another or others (usually fol. by to or with).
  4. Electricityconsisting of or having component parts connected in parallel:a parallel circuit.
  5. Music and Dance
    • (of two voice parts) progressing so that the interval between them remains the same.
    • (of a tonality or key) having the same tonic but differing in mode.
  6. Computing
    • of or pertaining to the apparent or actual performance of more than one operation at a time, by the same or different devices (distinguished from serial):Some computer systems join more than one CPU for parallel processing.
    • of or pertaining to the simultaneous transmission or processing of all the parts of a whole, as all the bits of a byte or all the bytes of a computer word (distinguished from serial).

n. 
  1. Mathematicsa parallel line or plane.
  2. anything parallel or comparable in direction, course, nature, or tendency to something else.
  3. Geography, Place NamesAlso called parallel of latitude. 
    • Place Namesan imaginary circle on the earth's surface formed by the intersection of a plane parallel to the plane of the equator, bearing east and west and designated in degrees of latitude north or south of the equator along the arc of any meridian.
    • Place Namesthe line representing this circle on a chart or map.
  4. something identical or similar in essential respects;
    match;
    counterpart:a case history without a known parallel.
  5. correspondence or analogy:These two cases have some parallel with each other.
  6. a comparison of things as if regarded side by side.
  7. Electricityan arrangement of the components, as resistances, of a circuit in such a way that all positive terminals are connected to one point and all negative terminals are connected to a second point, the same voltage being applied to each component. Cf. series (def. 9).
  8. [Fort.]a trench cut in the ground before a fortress, parallel to its defenses, for the purpose of covering a besieging force.
  9. Printinga pair of vertical parallel lines (∥∥) used as a mark for reference.
  10. Show Business[Theat.]a trestle for supporting a platform (parallel top.)

v.t. 
  1. to provide or show a parallel for;
    match.
  2. to go or be in a parallel course, direction, etc., to:The road parallels the river.
  3. to form a parallel to;
    be equivalent to;
    equal.
  4. to show the identity or similarity of;
    compare.
  5. to make parallel.
  • Greek parállēlos side by side, equivalent. to par- par- + állēlos one another; see allo-, else
  • Latin parallēlus
  • 1540–50
par′al•lel′a•ble, adj. 
par′al•lel′less, adj. 
par′al•lel′ly, adv. 
    2. like, alike. 10. equivalent, equal, mate, duplicate, twin, double.
    2. divergent; unlike; unique. 10. opposite.
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
parallel /ˈpærəˌlɛl/ adj
when postpositive, usually followed by to:
  1. separated by an equal distance at every point; never touching or intersecting: parallel walls
  2. corresponding; similar: parallel situations
    • Also: consecutive (of two or more parts or melodies) moving in similar motion but keeping the same interval apart throughout: parallel fifths
    • denoting successive chords in which the individual notes move in parallel motion
  4. denoting syntactic constructions in which the constituents of one construction correspond to those of the other
  5. operating on several items of information, instructions, etc, simultaneously
 n
  1. one of a set of parallel lines, planes, etc
  2. an exact likeness
  3. a comparison
  4. Also called: parallel of latitude any of the imaginary lines around the earth parallel to the equator, designated by degrees of latitude ranging from 0° at the equator to 90° at the poles
  5. (as modifier): a parallel circuit
 vb ( -lels, -leling, -leled) (transitive)
  1. to make parallel
  2. to supply a parallel to
  3. to be a parallel to or correspond with: your experience parallels mine
Etymology: 16th Century: via French and Latin from Greek parallēlos alongside one another, from para-1 + allēlos one another
'parallel' also found in these entries (note: many are not synonyms or translations):
Collocations: (somewhere in) a parallel [galaxy, world, universe, dimension], a parallel [algorithm, process, environment, version], a parallel [structure, construction, sentence], more...

🗣️Forum discussions with the word(s) "parallel" in the title:

-ing form / in parallel to
—though none admitted to eating a human being or considering it as an option [parallel construction]
[non-parallel sentence] When deciding to have the television
a multicentre, pragmatic, parallel group (Medical Science)
a parallel earth conductor...which could be a tray, open...duct or...conduit
A parallel industry
<a parallel interest> in its inter-personal and collective efects
a parallel life
a parallel life for psychiatry itself
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a parallel social universe
a parallel state
A sentence structure: parallel
activates multiple neurons in your brain in parallel
"and" in parallel structure
Apostrophe in a parallel sentence ( 's + and )
are parallel in
as a life's work, running parallel to his creative activity
"As" and parallel structure
axe with parallel side for two-thirds of the length - use of "for"
being as it were parallel, not necessarily meeting
bowing past parallel
by what he gives and not he keeps (parallel structure)
Correct parallel structure in the items of a run-in list
curbside parking vs. parallel parking
Definition of 'parallel' (about Macbeth)
different articles in parallel statements
draw an analogy / a parallel between A and B
edges should be parallel to <those of> the frame
either ... or parallel structure
more...

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