A par is a standard or expected level that serves as a reference point for comparison. The word comes from golf, where par means the number of strokes a skilled golfer should need to complete a hole. If a hole is par four, a good player should be able to get the ball in the cup in four strokes. Score below par and you've done better than expected; score above par and you've done worse.

The word has spread far beyond golf courses. When someone says their test performance was “below par,” they mean it wasn't as good as expected. When a restaurant meal is “up to par,” it meets the standards you hoped for. When something is merely “on par with” something else, the two things are roughly equal in quality or ability.

You might also hear the phrase “par for the course,” which means exactly what you'd normally expect in a situation, whether good or bad. If your little brother interrupts your homework for the third time today, that's par for the course (typical behavior, nothing surprising).

The word can also appear in business and finance, where bonds are often issued at par value (their standard face value). But you're more likely to encounter it in everyday conversations about whether something meets, exceeds, or falls short of expectations.