parallel
1 of 4adjective
par·al·lel ˈper-ə-ˌlel 
ˈpa-rə-,
-ləl
1
a
: extending in the same direction, everywhere equidistant (see equidistant sense 1), and not meeting
parallel rows of trees
b
: everywhere equally distant
concentric spheres are parallel
2
a
: having parallel sides
a parallel reamer
b
: being or relating to an electrical circuit having a number of conductors (see conductor sense d(1)) in parallel (see parallel entry 2 sense 4b)
c
: arranged in parallel
a computer with four parallel processors
d
: relating to or being a connection in a computer system in which the bits of a byte are transmitted over separate channels at the same time
a parallel port
compare serial 3
a
: similar, analogous, or interdependent in tendency or development : exhibiting parallelism in form, function, or development
… the standing committee systems in the two Houses are reasonably parallel …
Harold Zink
Harold Zink… parallel strikes on the railroads, in the gas and electricity services and in the metal and mining industries. Percy Winner
see also parallel evolution Percy Winner b
: readily compared : companion
the marriage rate turned upward … the birth rate entered upon a parallel climb Oscar Handlin
Oscar Handlin c
: having identical syntactical elements in corresponding positions
also : being such an element
d(1)
: having the same tonic —used of major and minor keys and scales
(2)
: keeping the same distance apart in musical pitch (see pitch entry 4 sense 4b(1))
4
: performed while keeping one's skis parallel
parallel turns
parallel
2 of 4noun
1
a
: a parallel line, curve, or surface
b
: one of the imaginary circles on the surface of the earth paralleling the equator and marking the latitude
also : the corresponding line on a globe or map see latitude illustration
c
: a character ∥ used in printing especially as a reference mark
2
a
: something equal or similar in all essential particulars : counterpart
b
: similarity, analogue
3
: a comparison to show resemblance
4
a
: the state of being physically parallel
b
: an arrangement of electrical devices in a circuit in which the same potential difference is applied to two or more resistances with each resistance being on a different branch of the circuit compare series
c
: an arrangement or state that permits several operations or tasks to be performed simultaneously rather than consecutively
parallel
3 of 4verb
paralleled; paralleling; parallels
transitive verb
1
: to indicate analogy of : compare
2
a
: to show something equal to : match
b
: to correspond to
3
: to place so as to be parallel in direction with something
4
: to extend, run, or move in a direction parallel to
parallel
4 of 4adverb
: in a parallel manner
Synonyms
Adjective
- akin
- alike
- analogous
- cognate
- comparable
- connate
- correspondent
- corresponding
- ditto
- like
- matching
- resemblant
- resembling
- similar
- such
- suchlike
Noun
- common denominator
- commonality
- congruity
- correspondence
- resemblance
- similarity
- similitude
Verb
- correspond (to)
- equal
- match
See all Synonyms & Antonyms 
Example Sentences
Adjective the parallel careers of the two movie stars These two sentences are parallel in structure. Notice the parallel development of the two technologies. Noun These myths have some striking parallels with myths found in cultures around the world. There are many parallels between the stories. Most of the United States is south of the 49th parallel. Verb Their test results parallel our own. Rising prices parallel increasing fuel costs. Spending is paralleled by an increase in the number of loans given. The highway parallels the river. See More
Recent Examples on the Web Chris Willman, Variety, 13 Sep. 2022 The Italian state — which, Nadeau acknowledges, fails to support its struggling citizens — and the parallel state that encompasses the mafia don’t seem that separate. Ilana Masad, Washington Post, 9 Sep. 2022 The queen, devoted to horses, hunting and country life, always had a parallel wardrobe of country clothing. Rory Satran, WSJ, 8 Sep. 2022 State attorneys general are pursuing a parallel antitrust suit against the search giant, also pending before Mehta. Leah Nylen, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2022 Russians will have the chance to buy the new Apple iPhone 14, despite the US tech company having left the country, thanks to Moscow's parallel import scheme, a senior government official told the RIA Novosti news agency on Thursday. Reuters, CNN, 8 Sep. 2022 The terminal complex sits in the middle of the airfield with its five parallel runways designed for efficiency. Kelly Yamanouchi, ajc, 8 Sep. 2022 For decades the Bills ran parallel to the Chargers in San Diego. Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Sep. 2022 Scientists will use the more than 160 parallel ridges – described as rib-like formations – to examine Thwaites’ historical activity and make predictions about its future possible movement, according to Graham. Ashley R. Williams, USA TODAY, 7 Sep. 2022 Holman W. Jenkins, WSJ, 13 Sep. 2022 The country also operates a sharia system, Islam’s legal system, in parallel with its secular legal system. Patrick Frater, Variety, 22 Aug. 2022 When deployed in parallel with collaborative creation, IA offers an important investment for companies to address the rising demand for improved CX. Andrew Kokes, Forbes, 17 Aug. 2022 As the largest crypto company on the public market, Coinbase bears the brunt of the broader industry’s problems, with its stock price fluctuating in parallel with Bitcoin and other volatile cryptocurrencies. New York Times, 5 Aug. 2022 The Biden administration has been closely tracking Iran’s satellite efforts, which have been progressing in parallel with Iran’s development of a more capable missile fleet. Ellen Nakashima, Washington Post, 4 Aug. 2022 Vega E is currently on track to fly in 2026, and Ranzo said its development will run in parallel with work on its as-yet-unnamed demonstration rocket. Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 1 July 2022 Not to run the risk of overstating what might be already apparent, but there’s a parallel between Billy’s lack of awareness and both his personal history and political history. Oliver Munday, The Atlantic, 21 June 2022 Running in parallel with the retraining is the automakers’ campaign to attract white-collar tech types—which doesn’t necessarily mean attracting them to Detroit. Jaclyn Trop, Fortune, 1 June 2022 Gene Maddaus, Variety, 10 Aug. 2022 De Souza's removal could parallel an episode in April 2020 when Olivaldi Azevedo, another military officer, was dismissed soon after Globo aired a segment featuring an operation against land grabbers inside an Indigenous territory. Fabiano Maisonnave, ajc, 18 Aug. 2022 Does Rita’s outlook parallel your own views on aging at all? Ilana Kaplan, Vogue, 12 Aug. 2022 The rocky performances and wavering accents among the secondary cast members parallel the disappointingly unimaginative (and not particularly lavish) special effects. Inkoo Kang, Washington Post, 5 Aug. 2022 Carlos Menem, president from 1989 to 1999, introduced a bill cutting four zeros off the austral and renaming it the peso, attempting to parallel Argentina’s monetary system to the U.S. dollar. Federico Perelmuter, The New Republic, 21 June 2022 Bonnie is expected to parallel to the coasts of El Salvador, Guatemala and southern Mexico today through Tuesday. Leigh Morgan, al, 2 July 2022 Tectonic plates in fracture zones, however, move side to side and parallel with each other, leading to much smaller earthquakes on average, Gomberg said. oregonlive, 16 June 2022 The show’s storylines have taken viewers on unpredictable journeys, from time jumps and parallel universes to fake deaths and sacrificial offerings. Leah Campano, Seventeen, 19 May 2022 Robert Klose, The Christian Science Monitor, 11 July 2022 And while his career wouldn't quite live up to its early promise, if Saka's goes on to run parallel then few at the Emirates will be complaining. SI.com, 23 Sep. 2019 Let your upper arm go parallel to the ground before returning to the starting position. Ajc Homepage, ajc, 16 Aug. 2017 Power generated at the San Vicente facility could be delivered via electrical lines parallel and interconnected to San Diego Gas & Electric’s Sunrise Power Link. Rob Nikolewski, sandiegouniontribune.com, 31 July 2017 See More
Adjective
To my mind, always, the ‘60s generation has been at least as important as the jazz age or the roaring ‘20s, and very parallel in many ways. Chris Willman, Variety, 13 Sep. 2022 The Italian state — which, Nadeau acknowledges, fails to support its struggling citizens — and the parallel state that encompasses the mafia don’t seem that separate. Ilana Masad, Washington Post, 9 Sep. 2022 The queen, devoted to horses, hunting and country life, always had a parallel wardrobe of country clothing. Rory Satran, WSJ, 8 Sep. 2022 State attorneys general are pursuing a parallel antitrust suit against the search giant, also pending before Mehta. Leah Nylen, Fortune, 8 Sep. 2022 Russians will have the chance to buy the new Apple iPhone 14, despite the US tech company having left the country, thanks to Moscow's parallel import scheme, a senior government official told the RIA Novosti news agency on Thursday. Reuters, CNN, 8 Sep. 2022 The terminal complex sits in the middle of the airfield with its five parallel runways designed for efficiency. Kelly Yamanouchi, ajc, 8 Sep. 2022 For decades the Bills ran parallel to the Chargers in San Diego. Tom Krasovic, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Sep. 2022 Scientists will use the more than 160 parallel ridges – described as rib-like formations – to examine Thwaites’ historical activity and make predictions about its future possible movement, according to Graham. Ashley R. Williams, USA TODAY, 7 Sep. 2022 Noun
There’s a parallel in the long-ago Gorbachev episode. Holman W. Jenkins, WSJ, 13 Sep. 2022 The country also operates a sharia system, Islam’s legal system, in parallel with its secular legal system. Patrick Frater, Variety, 22 Aug. 2022 When deployed in parallel with collaborative creation, IA offers an important investment for companies to address the rising demand for improved CX. Andrew Kokes, Forbes, 17 Aug. 2022 As the largest crypto company on the public market, Coinbase bears the brunt of the broader industry’s problems, with its stock price fluctuating in parallel with Bitcoin and other volatile cryptocurrencies. New York Times, 5 Aug. 2022 The Biden administration has been closely tracking Iran’s satellite efforts, which have been progressing in parallel with Iran’s development of a more capable missile fleet. Ellen Nakashima, Washington Post, 4 Aug. 2022 Vega E is currently on track to fly in 2026, and Ranzo said its development will run in parallel with work on its as-yet-unnamed demonstration rocket. Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 1 July 2022 Not to run the risk of overstating what might be already apparent, but there’s a parallel between Billy’s lack of awareness and both his personal history and political history. Oliver Munday, The Atlantic, 21 June 2022 Running in parallel with the retraining is the automakers’ campaign to attract white-collar tech types—which doesn’t necessarily mean attracting them to Detroit. Jaclyn Trop, Fortune, 1 June 2022 Verb
But Judge Lisa Lench ruled on Wednesday that her testimony would closely parallel the allegations of three other accusers, and would therefore be superfluous. Gene Maddaus, Variety, 10 Aug. 2022 De Souza's removal could parallel an episode in April 2020 when Olivaldi Azevedo, another military officer, was dismissed soon after Globo aired a segment featuring an operation against land grabbers inside an Indigenous territory. Fabiano Maisonnave, ajc, 18 Aug. 2022 Does Rita’s outlook parallel your own views on aging at all? Ilana Kaplan, Vogue, 12 Aug. 2022 The rocky performances and wavering accents among the secondary cast members parallel the disappointingly unimaginative (and not particularly lavish) special effects. Inkoo Kang, Washington Post, 5 Aug. 2022 Carlos Menem, president from 1989 to 1999, introduced a bill cutting four zeros off the austral and renaming it the peso, attempting to parallel Argentina’s monetary system to the U.S. dollar. Federico Perelmuter, The New Republic, 21 June 2022 Bonnie is expected to parallel to the coasts of El Salvador, Guatemala and southern Mexico today through Tuesday. Leigh Morgan, al, 2 July 2022 Tectonic plates in fracture zones, however, move side to side and parallel with each other, leading to much smaller earthquakes on average, Gomberg said. oregonlive, 16 June 2022 The show’s storylines have taken viewers on unpredictable journeys, from time jumps and parallel universes to fake deaths and sacrificial offerings. Leah Campano, Seventeen, 19 May 2022 Adverb
Pull up parallel to the lead vehicle until your rear bumpers align. Robert Klose, The Christian Science Monitor, 11 July 2022 And while his career wouldn't quite live up to its early promise, if Saka's goes on to run parallel then few at the Emirates will be complaining. SI.com, 23 Sep. 2019 Let your upper arm go parallel to the ground before returning to the starting position. Ajc Homepage, ajc, 16 Aug. 2017 Power generated at the San Vicente facility could be delivered via electrical lines parallel and interconnected to San Diego Gas & Electric’s Sunrise Power Link. Rob Nikolewski, sandiegouniontribune.com, 31 July 2017 See More Word History
Etymology
Adjective, Noun, Verb, and Adverb
Latin parallelus, from Greek parallēlos, from para beside + allēlōn of one another, from allos … allos one … another, from allos other — more at else
First Known Use
Adjective
circa 1550, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Noun
1551, in the meaning defined at sense 1a
Verb
circa 1594, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Adverb
1646, in the meaning defined above
Phrases Containing parallel
Kids Definition
parallel 1 of 3
adjective
par·al·lel ˈper-ə-ˌlel
: lying or moving in the same direction but always the same distance apart
parallel lines
Train tracks are parallel.
parallel
2 of 3noun
1
: a line or surface that lies at or moves in the same direction as another but is always the same distance from it
2
: one of the imaginary circles on the earth's surface running in the same direction as the equator and marking latitude
3
: a way in which things are similar
The parallel between their lives is obvious.
4
: equal entry 3 It is a masterpiece without parallel.
parallel
3 of 3verb
paralleled; paralleling
1
: to move, run, or extend in the same direction with but always at the same distance from
A road parallels the river.
2
: to be similar or equal to
parallels 1 of 2
noun
1
as in similarities
a point which two or more things share in common her professor pointed out some parallels between the two novels Synonyms & Similar Words
Relevance
- similarities
- resemblances
- commonalities
- similitudes
- congruities
- common denominators
- correspondences
- equivalents
- equals
- analogies
- homologies
- counterparts
Antonyms & Near Antonyms
- dissimilarities
- differences
- discrepancies
- incongruities
- divergences
- variations
- changes
- incongruences
- modifications
- deviances
2
as in equivalents
one that is equal to another in status, achievement, or value an advance that is without parallel in the history of virology Synonyms & Similar Words
- equivalents
- counterparts
- coordinates
- equals
- rivals
- partners
- colleagues
- matches
- peers
- likes
- analogues
- fellows
- coequals
- competitors
- companions
- associates
- analogs
- compeers
- twins
- doubles
- halves
- mates
- copartners
- co-partners
parallels
2 of 2verb
as in matches
to be the exact counterpart of developments in the television show paralleled those in the lead actor's real life Synonyms & Similar Words
- matches
- mirrors
- complements
- echoes
- equals
- supplements
- counterbalances
- counterpoises
- approaches
- corresponds (to)
- rivals
- suggests
- conforms (to)
- coordinates (with)
- nears
- blends (with)
- harmonizes (with)
- images
- repeats
- goes (with)
- measures (up)
- amounts (to)
- partakes (of)
- adds up (to)
- comes (to)