comp
/kɒmp
/informal
noun
1Short for:
1.1British A competition.Meanwhile, Janelle tells Susan about the new car she's thinking of buying to drive Bree to the spelling comp....
- Nope, I guess it is because I don't compete in comps.
- Fifty three competitors started the comp in tropical conditions.
1.2British A comprehensive school.He went to the local comp followed by the polytechnic....
- John, who is 18, has just taken A-levels at a comp round the corner from where I grew up.
- Surely Oxford should trawl those bog-standard comps for bright pupils.
1.3A computer: I have Windows XP installed on my comp...
- First, you need to monitor your comp's processes.
- I was unable to figure out how to configure her comp on my home network.
- Here's a list of my parts in my comp.
1.4North American A complimentary ticket or voucher.A patron may receive complimentaries, or comps, such as a free night's hotel stay or tickets to a show, based on the kind of player he or she is rated to be....
- A third friend, having just snared comps to Fiddler, caterwauled into her cell phone, ‘Aren't you just dying to see it again?’
1.5 [mass noun] North American Compensation.Generally, businesses make up-front payments to cover workers' comp for the year....
- But for many employees, worker's comp is their only insurance; thus, there's incentive for workers to blame injuries on the workplace to get treatment.
- Anyone just hurt by this type of thing is, of course, not covered in any way by something like workman's comp, and the company won't accept responsibility for anything before you punch that clock.
1.6British A compositor.
1.7A composition.
1.8A compilation.Some of the tunes on this comp will help the memories come alive....
- That facet of Canadian retro rock 'n' roll is certainly represented here, but this comp makes a point of showing how varied the punk-surf-rockabilly axis is this side of the border.
- That concept had DJs and producers from all across the globe choose only one song for the comp, representing their country of origin.
1.9A musical accompaniment.
verb
1 [no object] Play music as an accompaniment, especially in jazz or blues: he comps with an open, jangly sound [with object]: if someone is comping chord changes, there are more textured harmonies...
- ‘The Jackroller’ alternates between this odd combination and a textbook funk section filled with slap bass and standard jazz guitar comping.
- But even as ‘Reservations’ winds down, what might have been a three-minute song stretches out to seven minutes of quiet, solemn, funereal feedback and synth wash with a grand piano comping widely spaced minor chords.
- He mainly sticks to keyboards, and instead of adding blunt synth washes, he comps in subtle colors (as well as his patented deep-sea sonar pings).
2 [with object] North American Give (something) away free, especially as part of a promotion: the management did graciously comp our wine selection...
- You want to comp something, comp the extra wine we've had to drink waiting for each other.
- The waitress comped our dessert as an apology for the bresaola which was a nice touch, but really, I think I would have happily paid through the nose for this stuff.
- Aficionados of business dinners will know that this wasn't actually spent on the meal (the befuddled restaurateur comped the food) but on the wine, most of which was older than they are.
3 [with object] short for composite.
adjective [attributive] North American
Complimentary; free: the average fan was unable to get comp press tickets...
- Along the way I turned into a con man: always poaching a good time for little or no money, getting free hard and soft goods, and comp lift tickets.
- Think of an executive, in town for local meetings, who gets comp tickets to a baseball game from a client.
- I felt momentarily obliged to offer him a cookie, if not a hug and a comp ticket for the clue train.
