Compound Words: List of Compound Words with Different Types

One major grammatical point when speaking, reading or writing in English are compound words. What are compound words? We are going to look at what these words are and how they are formed, as well as looking at some examples of these types of words.

Compound Words

Compound Words
Compound Words – Created by 7ESL

What Is a Compound Word?

In simple terms, a compound word is a word which is made up of two or more words, usually two words, which are put together to form a new meaning, for example ‘deck chair.’

Compound word examples:

  • help desk
  • hot dog
  • bookstore
  • classmate
  • queen-size
  • one-sided
  • well-educated

Types of Compound Words

Compound words can fall into one of two categories, each of which has subcategories. Let’s take a closer look at these two types.

Words classified by their form

The first type are compound words which are classified by their form. There are three forms of compound words, these are open form, closed form and hyphenated form. Here is a short description of each of these forms to make them easier to understand. Each description will also have an example of the word used in a sentence.

  • Open form compound words are two words which are written independently of one another, separated by a space. An example of this type of compound word would be ‘ice cream.’ Here you can see it used in a sentence ‘I brought an ice cream from the store.’
  • Closed form compound words are two words which have been joined together to make a new word, they are not separated by a space and are written one right after the other. An example of this type of compound word is ‘snowman.’ Here you can see the word used in a sentence. ‘At Christmas time, when it snowed, we built a snowman.’
  • A hyphenated compound word is two words which are put together and separated by a hyphen. An example of this type of compound word is ’empty-handed.’ This is an example of how the word would look in a sentence. ‘I entered the competition but I came home empty-handed as I did not win.’

Words classified by their class

The next category that compound words can fall into is the word class. There are three subcategories for this type of compound word as well. These are compound verbs, compound adjective and compound nouns. Here is a short description of each of these types of compound words and some examples to further explain how they word both on their own and in a sentence.

  • Compound verbs are words which describe an action. Unlike a regular verb, a compound verb is made up of two words. Compound verbs are usually open formed. An example of a compound verb is ‘ask for.’ Here you can see the word used in a sentence. ‘I like to regularly ask for updates on the project.’
  • Compound adjectives are words which are descriptive. Unlike a regular adjective, a compound adjective is made of two words. Compound adjectives are usually hyphenated. An example of a compound adjective is ‘blue-eyed.’ Here is a sentence which contains the word to show how it would work. ‘My wife and daughter are both blue-eyed.
  • Compound nouns are words which give a name to something. Unlike regular nouns, a compound noun is made up of two words. Compound nouns are usually closed form. An example of a compound noun is ‘apple tree.’ Here is an example of a sentence which contains this compound verb. ‘In the orchard we have several apple trees and one large oak.’

Lists of Compound Words

List of Compound Words
List of Compound Words – Created by 7ESL

We will now list a variety of words from each of the classifications and subcategories of compound words.

Open Form Compound Words

  • full moon
  • living room
  • dining room
  • curtain rail
  • deck chair
  • tea cup
  • dinner plate
  • serving spoon
  • clothes peg
  • dance hall
  • seat belt
  • coffee grain
  • ice cube
  • ice cream
  • real estate
  • yard sale
  • hand towel
  • cell phone
  • high school
  • middle school
  • grammar school
  • elementary school
  • car pool
  • course work
  • disc drive
  • common sense
  • key pal
  • jumping jack
  • energy bar
  • help desk
  • hot dog
  • dirt bike
  • landing field
  • radio waves
  • rib cage
  • memory stick
  • report card

Closed Form Compound Words

  • windfall
  • baseball
  • worldwide
  • southeast
  • sailboat
  • railway
  • stockbroker
  • snowman
  • birthday
  • wildcat
  • football
  • peanut
  • afternoon
  • anytime
  • blackboard
  • bookstore
  • classmate
  • eyeball
  • freelance
  • gridlock
  • hamburger
  • jigsaw
  • knighthood
  • lipstick
  • moonlight
  • overkill
  • pothole
  • runway
  • showoff
  • strawberry
  • uptown
  • uproot
  • wrongdoing
  • workplace
  • workshop
  • underdog
  • today
  • springtime
  • somehow
  • rainbow
  • redhead
  • rattlesnake
  • playground
  • overpass

Hyphenated Form Compound Words

  • able-bodied
  • runner-up
  • clean-cut
  • follow-up
  • high-tech
  • close-up
  • father-in-law
  • king-size
  • queen-size
  • one-sided
  • run-in
  • self-concept
  • tip-off
  • word-of-mouth
  • self-service
  • three-dimensional
  • well-to-do
  • hush-hush
  • strong-arm
  • x-ray
  • toss-up
  • well-being
  • shrink-wrap
  • u-turn
  • topsy-turvy
  • single-minded
  • merry-go-round
  • short-tempered
  • on-site
  • off-site
  • life-sized
  • in-depth

Compound Verbs

  • blow up
  • ask out
  • blow out
  • add up to
  • break down
  • break up
  • break into
  • bring down
  • call back
  • call around
  • call off
  • catch up
  • check in
  • cheer up
  • come apart
  • come down with
  • come about
  • come around
  • count on
  • cross out
  • come in
  • do over
  • drop back
  • drop in
  • drop down
  • eat out
  • end up
  • fall apart
  • fall back
  • fall over
  • fall down
  • fill out
  • fill up
  • find out
  • get along
  • get across
  • get in
  • get out
  • get over
  • get back
  • get away with
  • give up
  • give away
  • give in to
  • go ahead
  • go after
  • go around
  • go back
  • go into
  • grow up
  • grow back
  • grow apart
  • hang out
  • keep up
  • keep on top of
  • let down
  • log in
  • log out
  • look for
  • look out
  • make up
  • make over
  • pass away
  • pass on
  • pay back
  • point out
  • put down
  • put away
  • put back
  • run out
  • run into
  • sort out
  • sleep over
  • sleep in
  • switch on
  • switch off
  • take back
  • take off
  • think up
  • think over

Compound Adjectives

  • good-looking
  • long-lasting
  • English-speaking
  • well-known
  • part-time
  • middle-aged
  • well-behaved
  • well looked-after
  • long-haired
  • sparsely-populated
  • well-educated
  • dimly-lit
  • sought-after
  • mouth-watering
  • fast-moving
  • time-saving
  • fat-free
  • full-length
  • world-famous
  • five-foot
  • brown-eyed
  • blonde-haired
  • open-minded
  • closed-minded
  • red-coloured
  • five-minute
  • short-tempered
  • hot-headed
  • small-minded
  • well-behaved
  • hard-working

Compound Nouns

  • eyeball
  • snowman
  • heartbeat
  • sunrise
  • raindrop
  • moonlight
  • myself
  • grandfather
  • grandmother
  • grandchild
  • anymore
  • goldfish
  • skateboard
  • seaside
  • sunshine
  • sunset
  • lifespan
  • friendship
  • gentleman
  • cowboy
  • birthday
  • bookshelf
  • battelfield
  • chopstick
  • dishwasher
  • dishwater
  • haircut
  • earring
  • landlord
  • necklace
  • bypass
  • notebook
  • houseboat
  • pancake
  • ladybug
  • ringworm
  • thunderstorm
  • teardrop
  • teacake
  • headache
  • backache
  • doorbell
  • toolbox
Latest posts by Liam Daniel (see all)

Rachel Moore

English Vocabulary

Rachel Moore is an experienced and dedicated English Vocabulary tutor based in the United Kingdom.

Ask Questions