comp
part of speech
noun (a comp, comps — informal, clipped)
meaning for a pupil
1) (UK, Australia, informal) Short for «competition», especially one to win a prize (enter a comp). tree →
2) (UK, informal) Short for «comprehensive school», a state secondary school for all abilities. tree →
3) (informal) Short for «complimentary»: free tickets or items (comps). tree →
4) (informal) Short for «composition» (in music or in art and writing), or «compilation». tree →
5) (US, informal) Short for «compensation»: money paid to make up for a loss, like «workers' comp». tree →
sense in the lessons
It is a clipped, informal word, so its meaning depends on the setting: in Britain and Australia, «a comp» is often a sports or prize competition; parents may say they went to «the local comp» (school); at a theatre, «comps» are free tickets. It tells the reader a longer word has been shortened.
examples
- I entered a drawing comp and won a book voucher. tree →
- She's running in the swimming comp on Saturday. (Australia) tree →
- Mum went to the local comp in Leeds. tree →
- We got two comps for the show because Dad works there. tree →
- The band's new comp album has all their hits. tree →
- His dad got workers' comp after the accident. (US) tree →
note
Informal clipped form; avoid it in formal writing and say the full word. Plural: comps. Say «komp». Not a word on its own in exams: write «competition», «comprehensive school», «complimentary» or «compensation».
Trees and pragmatics
Every meaning and example of «comp» parsed by Mova, each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.