parpar /pɑː $ pɑːr/ noun [uncountable] 
The wages of clerks were on a par with those of manual workers. We will have Christmas decorations on a par with anything on show at the Metro Centre.2be below/under par a)to feel a little ill or lacking in energy: I’ve been feeling a little under par the last couple of weeks. b) (also not be up to par) to be less good than usual or below the proper standard: None of the people who’d auditioned were really up to par. The champion was playing well below par.3be par for the course to be what you would normally expect to happen – used to show disapproval: Long hours and tough working conditions are often par for the course in catering.4the number of strokes a good player should take to hit the ball into a hole in the game of golf: The last hole is a par five.5 (also par value technical) the value of a stock or bond that is printed on it when it is first sold: bonds sold at 97% of their par valueat/above/below/under par The notes are currently trading at 10% above par. → par excellence
WORD ORIGINpar
Origin:
1500-1600 Latin ‘equal’EXAMPLES FROM OTHER DICTIONARIES
- Oritz needed only a par to win the tournament.
- The stock's par value decreased from $3.14 to 31 cents.
- Abdullah was the equivalent of a constable, the most junior career rank, almost on a par with conscripts.
- At 6,352 yards, par 71, it already offers a stern test of technique without being physically onerous.
- He knocked it on to the fairway, hit his third shot on to the green and then two-putted for par.
- In the nineteenth century the wines of Pierry were considered on a par with the best wines of Aÿ.
- On a par with Mom's, the flaky pie goes down smoothly.
- On the second day 47 players beat par with another 18 again scoring in the 60s for the first time.
- The card reads 6,330 yards, par 68: that's without a par-5.
Longman Language Activatorequal in quality, standard, or ability
· I don't think she ever recorded a song as good as "Stormy Weather".· They say that the new Argentinian striker will be as good as Maradona.· "How's the strawberry flavor?" "It's OK, but not as good as the chocolate one."
to be as good or as important as all the other things that are available: be equal to anyone/anything: · There's no doubt that she can produce work that is equal to anyone else's in her class.· The architecture here is equal to anything found in Florence or Rome.
: equally strong/good/difficult etc equal in strength, quality etc: · Chantal Johnson was brought up in Canada, and is equally fluent in French and English.· The meat can then be baked, grilled, or sautéed with equally good results.· Danny has great skill as a football player, and, equally important, the determination that you need to succeed.
to be as good as something else or equal in size, speed, power etc: · No one has ever equalled her performance as Juliet.· The cloth dyers of ancient Tyre produced beautiful colours that have never been equalled by even the finest synthetic dyes.be matched/equalled only by something: · The facilities at the club were only matched by one or two other clubs in Europe.
to be almost as good, impressive, or successful as something that is very good, impressive etc: · The college's facilities rival those of Harvard or Yale.rival something in something: · The new aeroplane would rival its competitors in terms of noise, range and versatility.· The prince built a vast palace, rivalling Versailles in size and opulence.
to be as good or almost as good as something that is very good: · The acquisition of Walker puts the company on a par with its rivals in France and Germany.· Donald showed up with a woman called Pandora, whose beauty was on a par with any film star.
if competitors or opponents are evenly matched they have almost equal ability, so a game or competition between them will be very even: · The two wrestlers were evenly matched.· It seems that the teams are pretty evenly matched, but the French players are probably more experienced.
British you say there's nothing to choose between two things or people when they are both equally good and you cannot say which is better: · After the interviews we had to admit there was nothing to choose between the two candidates.· There's really nothing to choose between the performance of these two cars.
WORD SETSbirdie, nounbirdie, verbbogey, nounbogie, nounbogie, verbbunker, nouncaddy, nouncaddy, verbcup, noundriver, nounfairway, noungolf ball, noungolf club, noungolf course, noungolf links, noungreen, nounhole, nounhole, verbiron, nounloft, verbmishit, verbpar, nounpitch, verbpitch-and-putt, nounpull, nounputt, verbputter, nounputting green, nounround, nounrubber, nounsandtrap, nounsink, verbswing, nountee, nountrap, nounwood, noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES The country’s defences have been pared to the bone (=reduced as far as possible).COLLOCATIONS FROM THE CORPUSADJECTIVE
The country’s defences have been pared to the bone (=reduced as far as possible).· Parsley was level par at the turn but found himself five down yet he never gave up.
· Matthew battled to a one-under-par 71 to ensure a two-stroke lead going into the final round.
NOUN· Bio2, after all, was a patchwork wilderness par excellence.
· It follows that management's shares can not be worth more than par value at the date they subscribe.· Calculate the issue price of a 91-day Treasury bill with a par value of 10,000 and a discount rate of 9 percent.· All these securities are sold at a discount to their par value.· On maturity, the investor receives the par value.· However, interest is reflected implicitly in the difference between the discounted issue price and the par value received at maturity.· The issue is often made for the par value of the debt and the debt will be redeemed at the same amount.· As a result, the amount of the proceeds deemed to relate to the debt will be less than par value.
VERB· Adamson reached the turn in five under par but faltered on the back nine to finish on two under par 70.
· A 1,000,000 certificate of deposit was issued at par with a coupon of 9.5 percent and 91 days to maturity.· The par yield curve is used to determine the required coupon on a new bond that is to be issued at par.
· All he could do was chip out and hope to make par.· I made a par on the tenth, a par-four of only 318 yards.· But he holed the long putt coming back to keep the match alive after Davies had safely made a par.· He made a par on sixteen.· Steve says he gets great satisfaction out of it and making one par in a round of 18 makes it worthwhile.· The issue is often made for the par value of the debt and the debt will be redeemed at the same amount.
· Emissions are down by as much as 80 per cent-putting them on a par with the best four-strokes.· One Labour source said that operating cartels would be put on a par with insider dealing.
· The jeans maker's bonds are trading above par, even in a badly depressed market.· If the bond is trading below par, the issuer is likely to repurchase the bond in the market.· If the bond is currently trading below par, its operative life is likely to be the number of years to maturity.
PHRASES FROM THE ENTRY
1be on a par (with something) to be at the same level or standard: - All human individuals are on a par, but each is separate from every other like the matches in a match box.
- At the 283-shop Meadowhall Centre, Sheffield, trade was on a par with 1991.
- At the business unit level profits should be on a par with last year, which was a record result.
- His creations are on a par with Mozart and the composers of the renaissance.
- Its bookshops are on a par, which means it is well catered for.
- Loss of self-control in cricket is on a par with evasion of payment for a television licence.
- The nice thing is that, at least in music, the girls are on par with the boys.
- The stripping action was on a par with other smaller models.
- For a second year, economic growth has been substantially below par.
- I haven't been up to par since the operation.
- He later warned the council's executive committee chairman Erica Wheeler that Mrs Ware's work was below par.
- If you want to be a politician, a little criticism is par for the course.
- It rained all week, but I guess that's par for the course in Ireland.
- It seems in some of those countries that political torture and assassination are par for the course.
- Alesis reverb units are par for the course in home studios; and their 3630 should enjoy the same popularity.
- In my trade this is thought to be par for the course.
- So were my years of flying in and out of countries where political torture and assassination were par for the course.
- Such service companies want your agency's business and lavish lunches and gifts are par for the course.
- This was par for the course, they seemed to be saying.
The wages of clerks were on a par with those of manual workers. We will have Christmas decorations on a par with anything on show at the Metro Centre.2be below/under par a)to feel a little ill or lacking in energy: I’ve been feeling a little under par the last couple of weeks. b) (also not be up to par) to be less good than usual or below the proper standard: None of the people who’d auditioned were really up to par. The champion was playing well below par.3be par for the course to be what you would normally expect to happen – used to show disapproval: Long hours and tough working conditions are often par for the course in catering.4the number of strokes a good player should take to hit the ball into a hole in the game of golf: The last hole is a par five.5 (also par value technical) the value of a stock or bond that is printed on it when it is first sold: bonds sold at 97% of their par valueat/above/below/under par The notes are currently trading at 10% above par. → par excellence