parallel
Americanadjective
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extending in the same direction, equidistant at all points, and never converging or diverging.
Parallel rows of trees lined two ends of the parking lot.
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having the same direction, course, nature, or tendency; corresponding; similar; analogous.
Canada and the United States have many parallel economic interests.
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Geometry.
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(of straight lines) lying in the same plane but never meeting no matter how far extended.
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(of planes) having common perpendiculars.
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(of a single line, plane, etc.) equidistant from another or others (usually followed by to orwith ).
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Electricity. consisting of or having component parts connected 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.
a parallel circuit.
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Music.
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(of two voice parts) progressing so that the interval between them remains the same.
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(of a tonality or key) having the same tonic but differing in mode.
A major and A minor are parallel keys.
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Computers.
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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.
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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).
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Grammar. consisting of matched syntactic elements in corresponding positions.
In the sentence “I have three cats and two dogs,” “three cats” and “two dogs” are in parallel structure.
noun
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parallels
plural
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a parallel line or plane.
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anything parallel or comparable to something else in direction, course, nature, or tendency.
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Also called parallel of latitude. Geography.
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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.
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the line representing this circle on a chart or map.
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something identical or similar in essential respects; match; counterpart.
It's a struggle to diagnose a case history without a known parallel.
- Synonyms:
- equivalent, body double, twin, duplicate, mate, equal
- Antonyms:
- opposite
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correspondence or analogy.
These two cases have some parallel with each other.
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a comparison of things as if regarded side by side.
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Electricity. an arrangement of the components, such as resistors, 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.
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Fortification. a trench cut in the ground before a fortress, parallel to its defenses, for the purpose of covering a besieging force.
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Printing. a pair of vertical parallel lines (‖) used as a mark for reference.
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Theater. a trestle for supporting a platform parallel top.
verb (used with object)
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parallels,
present (3rd person singular)
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paralleled,
past participle, past
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parallelled,
past participle, past (especially British)
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paralleling,
present participle
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parallelling
present participle (especially British)
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to provide or show a parallel for; match.
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to go or be in a parallel course, direction, etc., to.
The road parallels the river.
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to form a parallel to; be equivalent to; equal.
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to show the identity or similarity of; compare.
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to make parallel.
idioms
adjective
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separated by an equal distance at every point; never touching or intersecting
parallel walls
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corresponding; similar
parallel situations
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music
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Also: consecutive. (of two or more parts or melodies) moving in similar motion but keeping the same interval apart throughout
parallel fifths
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denoting successive chords in which the individual notes move in parallel motion
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grammar denoting syntactic constructions in which the constituents of one construction correspond to those of the other
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computing operating on several items of information, instructions, etc, simultaneously Compare serial
noun
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maths one of a set of parallel lines, planes, etc
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an exact likeness
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a comparison
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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
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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 )
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( as modifier ) See series
a parallel circuit
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printing the character (∥) used as a reference mark
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a trench or line lying in advance of and parallel to other defensive positions
verb
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to make parallel
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to supply a parallel to
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to be a parallel to or correspond with
your experience parallels mine
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Any of the imaginary lines encircling the Earth's surface parallel to the plane of the equator, used to represent degrees of latitude.
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See illustration at longitude
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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nonparalleladjective
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parallelableadjective
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parallellessadjective
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subparalleladjective
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unparalleladjective
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parallellyadverb
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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parallelsimple
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parallelssimple
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have paralleledperfect
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have parallelledperfect
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has paralleledperfect
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has parallelledperfect
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am parallelingprogressive
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am parallellingprogressive
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are parallelingprogressive
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are parallellingprogressive
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is parallelingprogressive
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is parallellingprogressive
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have been parallelingperfect progressive
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have been parallellingperfect progressive
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has been parallelingperfect progressive
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has been parallellingperfect progressive
Past
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paralleledsimple
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parallelledsimple
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had paralleledperfect
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had parallelledperfect
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was parallelingprogressive
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was parallellingprogressive
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were parallelingprogressive
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were parallellingprogressive
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had been parallelingperfect progressive
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had been parallellingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of parallel
First recorded in 1540–50; from Latin parallēlus, from Greek parállēlos “side by side,” from par- par- + állēlos “one another” ( see allo-)
Explanation
In math, parallel means two lines that never intersect — think of an equal sign. Figuratively, parallel means similar, or happening at the same time. A story might describe the parallel lives of three close friends. Parallel is from Greek parallēlos, from the prefix para-, "beside," plus allēlōn, "of one another," from allos, "other." As a noun, a parallel is a way in which things resemble each other — you might draw parallels between the Vietnam War and the U.S. invasion of Iraq. In specialized use, a parallel can mean one of the imaginary circles on the surface of the Earth that are parallel to the equator — the 49th parallel divides the U.S. and Canada.
Vocabulary lists containing parallel
Human Geography - Middle School
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"What Is the Horror Genre?" Vocabulary from the literary criticism
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Human Geography - High School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
Per Mr. Horowitz’s practice, and his “Marble Hall” script, the parallel mysteries are cast with the same actors, playing similar roles in each.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 3, 2026
For more than three decades, Liz Phair and Sleater-Kinney existed in parallel without ever quite meeting.
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 3, 2026
"We regularly see people on the beach attempting the crossing. It feels like living in two parallel worlds that have nothing to do with each other; it's really strange."
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
"Worry is warranted. Worry is how we anticipate problems," Altman said, drawing a parallel with the development of fire safety after blazes destroyed cities.
From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026
They were all half an inch long, and ran parallel to each other before disappearing into the roots of Sue’s dark hair.
From "Two Degrees" by Alan Gratz
Trading apps have replaced bucket shops, but Wall Street abounds with eerie parallels to 1901.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 2, 2026
There’s a glorious power scream at the end that parallels similar unrestrained, slightly unhinged sounds from the guitars.
From Salon ● Aug. 25, 2026
In his tribute to the actor, Coscarelli said the Long Beach native “channeled himself into that role” and described the parallels between Bannister’s character and his offscreen personality.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 11, 2026
Experts see parallels between the "Black Summer" and what has happened in Europe in recent months -- extended periods of drought accompanied by very high temperatures.
From Barron's ● Aug. 3, 2026
The Iron Worm squeaks, groans, and clanks—black tankers, rust-colored boxcars, and gray hoppers winding north on a single track that parallels the Pacific coast.
From "Enrique's Journey" by Sonia Nazario
This bittersweet ending is paralleled alongside the story of the patient and Katharine.
From Salon ● Jul. 28, 2026
Of all his familiar discoveries and inventions, his “Autobiography” may well be the most original, and what he made of it paralleled the invention of America itself.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 3, 2026
The rise in stocks and gold has paralleled the expansion of the Fed’s balance sheet, which, in colloquial terms, is how the central bank prints money.
From Barron's ● May 15, 2026
These developments in urbanism and architecture were paralleled in art and literature.
From BBC ● Jan. 17, 2025
Sammy drove along the road that paralleled the beach for more than a mile.
From "The Great Santini" by Pat Conroy
The education of Robert Maynard Hutchins parallelled and sped a slower re-education of the U.S. itself.
From Time Magazine Archive
The main stem of the flowing Potomac is parallelled on the Maryland shore by the C. & O. Canal in Federal ownership, a unique resource.
From The Nation's River A report on the Potomac from the U.S. Department of the Interior by United States. Dept. of the Interior.
The control, direction and administration of the nucleus is parallelled by the control, direction and administration of the total complex—the empire and/or the civilization.
From Civilization and Beyond Learning from History by Scott Nearing
Vigfusson's work was parallelled by the far more thorough researches of the eminent Norwegian philologist, Sophus Bugge.
From Canute the Great The Rise of Danish Imperialism during the Viking Age by Laurence Marcellus Larson
Victor's action is parallelled by that of Stephen.
From History of Dogma, Volume 2 (of 7) by Neil Buchanan
"Conversely, tourism can involve negative experiences that potentially lead to health problems, paralleling the process of promoting entropy increase. A prominent example is the public health crisis of COVID-19."
From Science Daily ● May 4, 2026
Still used today by West Africans, the instrument's main parts are a gourd, and a stick attachment and a bridge for its three to four strings, paralleling a modern banjo.
From Salon ● Feb. 15, 2024
"I have never in my experience heard a victim's voice telling you what is happening, what is going on in their life that's paralleling what you are obtaining and looking at evidentially," she said.
From BBC ● Nov. 20, 2023
But Lachman realized that the grain also brought “tension to the surface of the image,” paralleling the repressive qualities of the characters in both “Mildred Pierce” and “Carol.”
From New York Times ● Apr. 18, 2023
Outside Haarlem the bus took the south road, paralleling the sea.
From "The Hiding Place" by Corrie ten Boom
Once he thought he saw a group of gorilla creatures parallelling their course back amongst the forest growth, but if Naida observed the animals, she paid no attention.
From Astounding Stories of Super-Science, December 1930 by Various
Now his spin brought him around to face it, and he saw it was parallelling his course.
From Badge of Infamy by Lester Del Rey
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
