What Is a Compound Word?

– Meaning and
Definition
A compound word, as the name suggests, is a combination of two or more root
words. They are combined to form words which mean something different from
what the individual words mean.

A compound word, according to the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary, is defined as

“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.” The Cambridge Dictionary
defines a compound word as “two or more words linked together to produce a word
with a new meaning.” A compound word is defined as “is one that is made up of
two or more words”, according to the Collins Dictionary.

Types of Compound Words

Compound words can be formed in three different ways. They are:

 Open compound words

 Closed compound words
 Hyphenated compound words

Let us look at how each of these types of compound words are formed.

Open Compound Words

Open compound words are those that are formed by combining two or more words
which can be written as separate words and still be used together as a compound
word. Open compound words are mostly formed by combining an adjective and a
noun to form a compound noun.

For example:

 First aid
 Post office
 Living room
 High school
  Ice cream

Closed Compound Words

Closed compound words are those that are formed by combining two words but do
not contain any space between them, unlike open compound words.

For example:

 Bedroom
 Keyhole
 Football
 Backspace
 Armchair

Hyphenated Compound Words

Hyphenated compound words, as the name suggests are words formed by
combining two or more words with a hyphen placed between them. Hyphenated
compound words mostly function as compound adjectives.

For example:

 In-depth
 Snow-clad
 One-footed
 Sun-dried
 Day-to-day

Points to Remember When Forming Compound

Words
Have you tried merging two or more words that mean completely different things?
If you do, you will find out that some interesting combinations work, mean
something different from what their individual meanings are and make your
language a lot more interesting and colourful. Now, there is something you should
know. You cannot just combine any two words together to form a word. Make sure
you make proper compound words and use them appropriately. Here are a few
points you will have to bear in mind when forming and using compound words.

 Compound words can be said to be permanent compounds or temporary compounds.

Permanent compound words are those that are already a part of the language;
whereas, a temporary compound word is one that is formed to suit the writer’s or
speaker’s requirement. For example, words like first aid, grandmother, lawsuit,
blackboard, etc. are permanent compound words which already exist in the English
language and words like red-headed, left-handed, bright-eyed, etc. are the kind of
words that can be created to suit the requirement of the language user.
 To help you a little, here is something you can remember. In most cases, compound
nouns are written as a closed compound word, a compound verb is written as an open
compound word and a compound adjective is written as a hyphenated compound word.
However, this is not a rule and is not always the case.
 As far as hyphenated compound words are concerned, they are hyphenated only if
they are placed before the noun it modifies.

Formation of Compound Words

Compound words, as discussed earlier, are formed by combining two words,
especially two parts of speech. Let us look at some combinations of parts of
speech that form compound words.

Noun + Noun
Here is a list of compound words formed by combining two nouns.

 Bedroom
 Music band
 Water tank
 Starfish
 Sunflower
 Girlfriend
 Police woman
 Football

Noun + Verb
Here is a list of compound words formed by combining a noun and a verb.

 Firefly
  Rainfall
 Sunset
 Photoshoot
 Sunrise
 Raindrop
 Haircut
 Snowfall

Verb + Noun
Here is a list of compound words formed by combining a verb and a noun.

 Swim suit
 Typewriter
 Postman
 Post office
 Notebook
 Breakfast
 Proofread
 Babysit

Verb + Preposition
Here is a list of compound words formed by combining a verb and a preposition.

 Takeaway
 Shutdown
 Drawback
 Checkin
 Checkout
 Lookout
 Takedown
 Breakup

Preposition + Verb
Here is a list of compound words formed by combining a preposition and a verb.

 Intake
  Outdo
 Input
 Output
 Overthrow
 Understand
 Underestimate
 Overlay

Noun + Adjective
Here is a list of compound words formed by combining a noun and an adjective.

 Housefull
 Heartbroken
 Spoonful
 Wireless
 Lifelong
 Snow white
 Sky blue
 Worldwide

Adjective + Noun
Here is a list of compound words formed by combining an adjective and a noun.

 Greenhouse
 Blackboard
 Full-time
 Superhero
 Hot dog
 Blacksmith
 Long-term
 Last minute

Gerund + Noun
Here is a list of compound words formed by combining a gerund and a noun.

 Washing machine
  Dining room
 Swimming pool
 Driving licence
 Breaking point
 Melting point
 Living room
 Working day

Noun + Gerund
Here is a list of compound words formed by combining a noun and a gerund.

 Sightseeing
 Mind-blowing
 Nerve-wrecking
 Nail-biting
 Brainstorming
 Mindmapping
 Air conditioning
 Time-consuming
 Bird watching

Preposition + Noun
Here is a list of compound words formed by combining a preposition and a noun.

 Underworld
 Overview
 Undergraduate
 Oversight
 Bystander
 Afterlife
 Background
 Forehead
 Upstairs

Examples of Compound Words

Taking a look at a number of examples will definitely help you out. So here is a list
of some of the most common compound words used in English.

List of Commonly-Used Compound Words in English

Compound Words

Blackboard South-west North-east Indo-European Afro-American

First aid Bedroom Bathroom Washing machine Vending machine

Living room Swimming pool Drawing room Copyright Typewriter

Managing director Day-to-day Blood pressure Cold blooded Eye opener

Microorganism Cupboard Footnote Locksmith Blacksmith

Goldsmith Giveaway In-depth Breakup Breakdown

Blowout Housefull Showdown Long term Sunflower

Dilly dally Postman Post office Breakfast Notebook

Superhero Hot dog Full moon Merry-go-round Grandfather

Mother-in-law Father-in-law Sister-in-law Brother-in-law Granddaughter

Grandson Grandchild Good-hearted Last minute Real estate

Mind-blowing Far-fetched Warmup Firefly Butterfly

Grasshopper Blueberry Strawberry Half-baked Raincoat

All-nighter Know-it-all Smartphone Starfish Runway

Toothbrush Time table Hopscotch Uptown Eyeball

Keyboard Cupcake Homework Underground Popcorn

Daydream Nightmare Midnight Downstairs Upstairs

Parking lot Worksheet Snow white Keypoint Handout

Raindrop Hometown Extracurricular Network French fries

Brainstorm Teaspoon Table spoon Handbag Earthworm

Greenhouse Milkshake Farewell Showoff Newsletter

Subway Pathway Deadend Homemade Handmade

Peanut Jellybean Afternoon Namesake Foolproof

Waterproof Soundproof Policeman Scarecrow Passport

Forearm Eyebrow Nose ring Earring Staircase

Test Your Understanding of Compound Words

Use the following words to form open, closed or hyphenated compound words.

 Sick  White
 Written  Minded
 Washed  Home
 Hand  Well
 Known  Broad
 Hair  Lap
 Half  Right
 Card  Top
 Handed  Cut
 Flash  Sister

Given below are the list of compound words formed by combining the given list of
words.

1. Homesick
2.Hand-written

3. White-washed

4. Well-known

5. Haircut

6. Half-sister

7. Flashcard

8. Right-handed

9. Laptop

10. Broad-minded