Which statement best defines compound as a verb?

• A. to increase
• B. to combine
• C. to make something worse
• D. to pay interest

Answer: (B)

The main idea here is how the verb form of compound is used in everyday English. As a verb, compound most commonly means to bring together or mix two or more parts to form a single whole. This is the sense you use when you combine ingredients to create something new or when you unite elements into one.

There is also a figurative use, as in “to compound a problem,” which means to make the situation worse by adding to it. That extension comes from the idea of putting things together, but it isn’t the general, everyday sense of the verb.

So the best match is the sense that captures the straightforward act of joining or combining. The other options describe meanings that aren’t the typical verb sense of compound, or refer to a more specialized/figurative usage.