diff --git a/Lib/compileall.py b/Lib/compileall.py
index 9451a60aa96..c3bf25a5db0 100644
--- a/Lib/compileall.py
+++ b/Lib/compileall.py
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@ import py_compile
 import struct
 import imp
 
-__all__ = ["compile_dir","compile_path"]
+__all__ = ["compile_dir","compile_file","compile_path"]
 
 def compile_dir(dir, maxlevels=10, ddir=None,
                 force=0, rx=None, quiet=0):
@@ -48,47 +48,9 @@ def compile_dir(dir, maxlevels=10, ddir=None,
             dfile = os.path.join(ddir, name)
         else:
             dfile = None
-        if rx is not None:
-            mo = rx.search(fullname)
-            if mo:
-                continue
-        if os.path.isfile(fullname):
-            head, tail = name[:-3], name[-3:]
-            if tail == '.py':
-                if not force:
-                    try:
-                        mtime = int(os.stat(fullname).st_mtime)
-                        expect = struct.pack('<4sl', imp.get_magic(), mtime)
-                        cfile = fullname + (__debug__ and 'c' or 'o')
-                        with open(cfile, 'rb') as chandle:
-                            actual = chandle.read(8)
-                        if expect == actual:
-                            continue
-                    except IOError:
-                        pass
-                if not quiet:
-                    print('Compiling', fullname, '...')
-                try:
-                    ok = py_compile.compile(fullname, None, dfile, True)
-                except KeyboardInterrupt:
-                    raise KeyboardInterrupt
-                except py_compile.PyCompileError as err:
-                    if quiet:
-                        print('*** Error compiling', fullname, '...')
-                    else:
-                        print('*** ', end='')
-                    print(err.msg)
-                    success = 0
-                except (SyntaxError, UnicodeError, IOError) as e:
-                    if quiet:
-                        print('*** Error compiling', fullname, '...')
-                    else:
-                        print('*** ', end='')
-                    print(e.__class__.__name__ + ':', e)
-                    success = 0
-                else:
-                    if ok == 0:
-                        success = 0
+        if not os.path.isdir(fullname):
+            if not compile_file(fullname, ddir, force, rx, quiet):
+                success = 0
         elif maxlevels > 0 and \
              name != os.curdir and name != os.pardir and \
              os.path.isdir(fullname) and \
@@ -98,6 +60,64 @@ def compile_dir(dir, maxlevels=10, ddir=None,
                 success = 0
     return success
 
+def compile_file(fullname, ddir=None, force=0, rx=None, quiet=0):
+    """Byte-compile file.
+    file:      the file to byte-compile
+    ddir:      if given, purported directory name (this is the
+               directory name that will show up in error messages)
+    force:     if 1, force compilation, even if timestamps are up-to-date
+    quiet:     if 1, be quiet during compilation
+
+    """
+    success = 1
+    name = os.path.basename(fullname)
+    if ddir is not None:
+        dfile = os.path.join(ddir, name)
+    else:
+        dfile = None
+    if rx is not None:
+        mo = rx.search(fullname)
+        if mo:
+            return success
+    if os.path.isfile(fullname):
+        head, tail = name[:-3], name[-3:]
+        if tail == '.py':
+            if not force:
+                try:
+                    mtime = int(os.stat(fullname).st_mtime)
+                    expect = struct.pack('<4sl', imp.get_magic(), mtime)
+                    cfile = fullname + (__debug__ and 'c' or 'o')
+                    with open(cfile, 'rb') as chandle:
+                        actual = chandle.read(8)
+                    if expect == actual:
+                        return success
+                except IOError:
+                    pass
+            if not quiet:
+                print('Compiling', fullname, '...')
+            try:
+                ok = py_compile.compile(fullname, None, dfile, True)
+            except KeyboardInterrupt:
+                raise KeyboardInterrupt
+            except py_compile.PyCompileError as err:
+                if quiet:
+                    print('*** Error compiling', fullname, '...')
+                else:
+                    print('*** ', end='')
+                print(err.msg)
+                success = 0
+            except (SyntaxError, UnicodeError, IOError) as e:
+                if quiet:
+                    print('*** Error compiling', fullname, '...')
+                else:
+                    print('*** ', end='')
+                print(e.__class__.__name__ + ':', e)
+                success = 0
+            else:
+                if ok == 0:
+                    success = 0
+    return success
+
 def compile_path(skip_curdir=1, maxlevels=0, force=0, quiet=0):
     """Byte-compile all module on sys.path.
 
@@ -118,15 +138,34 @@ def compile_path(skip_curdir=1, maxlevels=0, force=0, quiet=0):
                                               force, quiet=quiet)
     return success
 
+def expand_args(args, flist):
+    """read names in flist and append to args"""
+    expanded = args[:]
+    if flist:
+        try:
+            if flist == '-':
+                fd = sys.stdin
+            else:
+                fd = open(flist)
+            while 1:
+                line = fd.readline()
+                if not line:
+                    break
+                expanded.append(line[:-1])
+        except IOError:
+            print("Error reading file list %s" % flist)
+            raise
+    return expanded
+
 def main():
     """Script main program."""
     import getopt
     try:
-        opts, args = getopt.getopt(sys.argv[1:], 'lfqd:x:')
+        opts, args = getopt.getopt(sys.argv[1:], 'lfqd:x:i:')
     except getopt.error as msg:
         print(msg)
         print("usage: python compileall.py [-l] [-f] [-q] [-d destdir] " \
-              "[-x regexp] [directory ...]")
+              "[-x regexp] [-i list] [directory|file ...]")
         print("-l: don't recurse down")
         print("-f: force rebuild even if timestamps are up-to-date")
         print("-q: quiet operation")
@@ -134,12 +173,14 @@ def main():
         print("   if no directory arguments, -l sys.path is assumed")
         print("-x regexp: skip files matching the regular expression regexp")
         print("   the regexp is searched for in the full path of the file")
+        print("-i list: expand list with its content (file and directory names)")
         sys.exit(2)
     maxlevels = 10
     ddir = None
     force = 0
     quiet = 0
     rx = None
+    flist = None
     for o, a in opts:
         if o == '-l': maxlevels = 0
         if o == '-d': ddir = a
@@ -148,17 +189,28 @@ def main():
         if o == '-x':
             import re
             rx = re.compile(a)
+        if o == '-i': flist = a
     if ddir:
-        if len(args) != 1:
+        if len(args) != 1 and not os.path.isdir(args[0]):
             print("-d destdir require exactly one directory argument")
             sys.exit(2)
     success = 1
     try:
-        if args:
-            for dir in args:
-                if not compile_dir(dir, maxlevels, ddir,
-                                   force, rx, quiet):
-                    success = 0
+        if args or flist:
+            try:
+                if flist:
+                    args = expand_args(args, flist)
+            except IOError:
+                success = 0
+            if success:
+                for arg in args:
+                    if os.path.isdir(arg):
+                        if not compile_dir(arg, maxlevels, ddir,
+                                           force, rx, quiet):
+                            success = 0
+                    else:
+                        if not compile_file(arg, ddir, force, rx, quiet):
+                            success = 0
         else:
             success = compile_path()
     except KeyboardInterrupt:
diff --git a/Lib/test/test_compileall.py b/Lib/test/test_compileall.py
index 1a71c5c3f23..65622f712a5 100644
--- a/Lib/test/test_compileall.py
+++ b/Lib/test/test_compileall.py
@@ -17,6 +17,9 @@ class CompileallTests(unittest.TestCase):
         self.bc_path = self.source_path + ('c' if __debug__ else 'o')
         with open(self.source_path, 'w') as file:
             file.write('x = 123\n')
+        self.source_path2 = os.path.join(self.directory, '_test2.py')
+        self.bc_path2 = self.source_path2 + ('c' if __debug__ else 'o')
+        shutil.copyfile(self.source_path, self.source_path2)
 
     def tearDown(self):
         shutil.rmtree(self.directory)
@@ -52,6 +55,22 @@ class CompileallTests(unittest.TestCase):
         # Test a change in mtime leads to a new .pyc.
         self.recreation_check(b'\0\0\0\0')
 
+    def test_compile_files(self):
+        # Test compiling a single file, and complete directory
+        for fn in (self.bc_path, self.bc_path2):
+            try:
+                os.unlink(fn)
+            except:
+                pass
+        compileall.compile_file(self.source_path, force=False, quiet=True)
+        self.assertTrue(os.path.isfile(self.bc_path) \
+                        and not os.path.isfile(self.bc_path2))
+        os.unlink(self.bc_path)
+        compileall.compile_dir(self.directory, force=False, quiet=True)
+        self.assertTrue(os.path.isfile(self.bc_path) \
+                        and os.path.isfile(self.bc_path2))
+        os.unlink(self.bc_path)
+        os.unlink(self.bc_path2)
 
 def test_main():
     support.run_unittest(CompileallTests)
diff --git a/Misc/NEWS b/Misc/NEWS
index eade42cb694..1afc8323c79 100644
--- a/Misc/NEWS
+++ b/Misc/NEWS
@@ -283,6 +283,8 @@ C-API
 Library
 -------
 
+- Issue #8140: extend compileall to compile single files. Add -i option.
+
 - Issue #7356: ctypes.util: Make parsing of ldconfig output independent of
   the locale.