extending in the same direction, equidistant at all points, and never converging or diverging: parallel rows of trees.
having the same direction, course, nature, or tendency; corresponding; similar; analogous: Canada and the U.S. have many parallel economic interests.
Geometry.
(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 followed by to or with).
Electricity. consisting of or having component parts connected in parallel: a parallel circuit.
Music.
(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.
Computers.
of or relating 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 relating 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).
noun
a parallel line or plane.
anything parallel or comparable in direction, course, nature, or tendency to something else.
Also called parallel of latitude. Geography.
an 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.
the line representing this circle on a chart or map.
something identical or similar in essential respects; match; counterpart: a case history without a known parallel.
correspondence or analogy: These two cases have some parallel with each other.
a comparison of things as if regarded side by side.
Electricity. an 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.Compare series (def. 9).
Fortification. a trench cut in the ground before a fortress, parallel to its defenses, for the purpose of covering a besieging force.
Printing. a pair of vertical parallel lines (‖) used as a mark for reference.
Theater. a trestle for supporting a platform (parallel top ).
verb (used with object),par·al·leled,par·al·lel·ing or (especially British) par·al·lelled,par·al·lel·ling.
to provide or show a parallel for; match.
to go or be in a parallel course, direction, etc., to: The road parallels the river.
to form a parallel to; be equivalent to; equal.
to show the identity or similarity of; compare.
to make parallel.
Origin of parallel
1540–50; <Latin parallēlus<Greek parállēlos side by side, equivalent to par-par- + állēlos one another; see allo-, else
SYNONYMS FOR parallel
2 like, alike.
10 equivalent, equal, mate, duplicate, twin, body double.
He said this was true despite AstraZeneca’s producing hundreds of millions of doses of the vaccine in parallel with the ongoing late-stage clinical trials.
COVID-19 vaccine still on track for later this year despite trial pause, AstraZeneca CEO says|Jeremy Kahn|September 10, 2020|Fortune
AstraZeneca, the firm partnering Oxford to develop the vaccine, is overseeing a scaling up of manufacturing in parallel with clinical testing so that hundreds of millions of doses can be available if the vaccine is shown to be safe and effective.
Oxford Scientists: These Are Final Steps We’re Taking to Get Our Coronavirus Vaccine Approved|Rebecca Ashfield|September 9, 2020|Singularity Hub
Running parallel to this state spending spree is a full-bodied embrace of digital finance by citizens.
Smart stimulus: Cash as code|Claire Beatty|September 9, 2020|MIT Technology Review
Nord Stream 2, running mostly in parallel to the existing Nord Stream system, would double its annual capacity to 110 billion cubic meters.
Trump has long wanted to kill a Russia-Germany natural gas pipeline. Navalny’s poisoning could do it for him|David Meyer|September 8, 2020|Fortune
She shows the parallels between the challenges each encountered, and the similar character traits and values it took each President to overcome them.
Book recommendations from Fortune’s 40 under 40 in finance|Rachel King|September 8, 2020|Fortune
A professional ballroom dancer and instructor, her name reflects a parallel that runs in both BDSM and dance: symbiosis.
Dungeons and Genital Clamps: Inside a Legendary BDSM Chateau|Ian Frisch|December 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
In parallel, they are building new kilns to produce traditional tiles and bricks.
For Rent: Priceless Historic Sites|Elinor Betesh|November 16, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Daily activity is rendered in parallel horizontal timelines, making it very easy to compare one day's activity to the next.
The Best Quantified Self Site You Haven’t Heard Of|Jamie Todd Rubin|August 5, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Two parallel fences tipped with barbed wire formed a narrow corridor into the gymnasium.
The GOP’s Last Identity Crisis Remade U.S. Politics|Michael Wolraich|July 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This parallel tension was on vivid display when Thomas Muller scored for Germany in the 55th minute, putting his team ahead, 1-0.
Bring It On! Team USA Progresses to Round 2|Tunku Varadarajan|June 26, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The path was now running along the side of the cliff, parallel to the sea.
The Secret Adversary|Agatha Christie
All the paths are at right angles or parallel to each other, and the garden generally is laid out with monotonous regularity.
A Visit to Java|W. Basil Worsfold
The threads of the warp extend in parallel order from the warp-beam to the front of the loom, and are attached to the cloth-roll.
Textiles|William H. Dooley
Very few kangaroos were seen, none indeed beyond the parallel of 28 degrees.
Expedition into Central Australia|Charles Sturt
A simple graphical construction is indicated in fig. 19, where the dotted lines are parallel.
separated by an equal distance at every point; never touching or intersectingparallel walls
corresponding; similarparallel situations
music
Also: consecutive(of two or more parts or melodies) moving in similar motion but keeping the same interval apart throughoutparallel fifths
denoting successive chords in which the individual notes move in parallel motion
grammardenoting syntactic constructions in which the constituents of one construction correspond to those of the other
computingoperating on several items of information, instructions, etc, simultaneouslyCompare serial (def. 6)
noun
mathsone of a set of parallel lines, planes, etc
an exact likeness
a comparison
Also called: parallel of latitudeany 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
a configuration of two or more electrical components connected between two points in a circuit so that the same voltage is applied to each (esp in the phrase in parallel)
(as modifier)a parallel circuit See series (def. 6)
printingthe character (∥) used as a reference mark
a trench or line lying in advance of and parallel to other defensive positions
verb-lels, -lelingor-leled(tr)
to make parallel
to supply a parallel to
to be a parallel to or correspond withyour experience parallels mine
Word Origin for parallel
C16: via French and Latin from Greek parallēlos alongside one another, from para-1 + allēlos one another
Of or relating to lines or surfaces that are separated everywhere from each other by the same distance.
Noun
Any of the imaginary lines encircling the Earth's surface parallel to the plane of the equator, used to represent degrees of latitude. See illustration at longitude.