Translate parallel | into French | into German | into Italian | into Spanish Definition of parallel
adjective
(of lines, planes, surfaces, or objects) side by side and having the same distance continuously between them:parallel lines never meet the road runs parallel to the Ottawa River occurring or existing at the same time or in a similar way; corresponding:a parallel universe they shared an apartment in Dallas while establishing parallel careers Computing involving the simultaneous performance of operations. of or denoting electrical components or circuits connected to common points at each end, rather than one to another in sequence. The opposite of series.
noun
1a person or thing that is similar or analogous to another:a challenge that has no parallel in peacetime this century a similarity or comparison:he points to a parallel between biological evolution and cognitive development he draws a parallel between personal destiny and social forces
2 (also parallel of latitude) each of the imaginary parallel circles of constant latitude on the earth’s surface.
3 Printing two parallel lines (‖) as a reference mark.
verb (parallels, paralleling, paralleled)
[with object] (of something extending in a line) be side by side with (something extending in a line), always keeping the same distance:a big concrete gutter that paralleled the road be similar or corresponding to (something):the lawlessness throughout officialdom was paralleled by an increase in lawlessness on the streets
