diff --git a/Source/cmTarget.cxx b/Source/cmTarget.cxx
index cc1df846d..1277fc2c2 100644
--- a/Source/cmTarget.cxx
+++ b/Source/cmTarget.cxx
@@ -177,7 +177,9 @@ public:
   std::vector<std::string> CompileFeaturesEntries;
   std::vector<cmListFileBacktrace> CompileFeaturesBacktraces;
   std::vector<TargetPropertyEntry*> CompileFeaturesItems;
-  std::vector<TargetPropertyEntry*> CompileDefinitionsEntries;
+  std::vector<std::string> CompileDefinitionsEntries;
+  std::vector<cmListFileBacktrace> CompileDefinitionsBacktraces;
+  std::vector<TargetPropertyEntry*> CompileDefinitionsItems;
   std::vector<TargetPropertyEntry*> SourceEntries;
   std::vector<cmValueWithOrigin> LinkImplementationPropertyEntries;
 
@@ -474,6 +476,11 @@ void cmTarget::Compute()
         this->Internal->CompileFeaturesEntries,
         this->Internal->CompileFeaturesBacktraces,
         this->Internal->CompileFeaturesItems);
+
+  CreatePropertyGeneratorExpressions(
+        this->Internal->CompileDefinitionsEntries,
+        this->Internal->CompileDefinitionsBacktraces,
+        this->Internal->CompileDefinitionsItems);
 }
 
 //----------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -1728,12 +1735,11 @@ void cmTarget::SetProperty(const std::string& prop, const char* value)
     }
   else if(prop == "COMPILE_DEFINITIONS")
     {
+    this->Internal->CompileDefinitionsEntries.clear();
+    this->Internal->CompileDefinitionsBacktraces.clear();
+    this->Internal->CompileDefinitionsEntries.push_back(value);
     cmListFileBacktrace lfbt = this->Makefile->GetBacktrace();
-    cmGeneratorExpression ge(lfbt);
-    deleteAndClear(this->Internal->CompileDefinitionsEntries);
-    cmsys::auto_ptr<cmCompiledGeneratorExpression> cge = ge.Parse(value);
-    this->Internal->CompileDefinitionsEntries.push_back(
-                          new cmTargetInternals::TargetPropertyEntry(cge));
+    this->Internal->CompileDefinitionsBacktraces.push_back(lfbt);
     }
   else if(prop == "EXPORT_NAME" && this->IsImported())
     {
@@ -1817,10 +1823,9 @@ void cmTarget::AppendProperty(const std::string& prop, const char* value,
     }
   else if(prop == "COMPILE_DEFINITIONS")
     {
+    this->Internal->CompileDefinitionsEntries.push_back(value);
     cmListFileBacktrace lfbt = this->Makefile->GetBacktrace();
-    cmGeneratorExpression ge(lfbt);
-    this->Internal->CompileDefinitionsEntries.push_back(
-              new cmTargetInternals::TargetPropertyEntry(ge.Parse(value)));
+    this->Internal->CompileDefinitionsBacktraces.push_back(lfbt);
     }
   else if(prop == "EXPORT_NAME" && this->IsImported())
     {
@@ -1952,10 +1957,8 @@ void cmTarget::InsertCompileOption(std::string const& entry,
 void cmTarget::InsertCompileDefinition(std::string const& entry,
                                        cmListFileBacktrace const& bt)
 {
-  cmGeneratorExpression ge(bt);
-
-  this->Internal->CompileDefinitionsEntries.push_back(
-      new cmTargetInternals::TargetPropertyEntry(ge.Parse(entry)));
+  this->Internal->CompileDefinitionsEntries.push_back(entry);
+  this->Internal->CompileDefinitionsBacktraces.push_back(bt);
 }
 
 //----------------------------------------------------------------------------
@@ -2337,7 +2340,7 @@ void cmTarget::GetCompileDefinitions(std::vector<std::string> &list,
     }
 
   processCompileDefinitions(this,
-                            this->Internal->CompileDefinitionsEntries,
+                            this->Internal->CompileDefinitionsItems,
                             list,
                             uniqueOptions,
                             &dagChecker,
@@ -2744,22 +2747,6 @@ bool cmTarget::HandleLocationPropertyPolicy(cmMakefile* context) const
   return messageType != cmake::FATAL_ERROR;
 }
 
-//----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-static void MakePropertyList(std::string& output,
-    std::vector<cmTargetInternals::TargetPropertyEntry*> const& values)
-{
-  output = "";
-  std::string sep;
-  for (std::vector<cmTargetInternals::TargetPropertyEntry*>::const_iterator
-       it = values.begin(), end = values.end();
-       it != end; ++it)
-    {
-    output += sep;
-    output += (*it)->ge->GetInput();
-    sep = ";";
-    }
-}
-
 //----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 const char *cmTarget::GetProperty(const std::string& prop) const
 {
@@ -2968,7 +2955,7 @@ const char *cmTarget::GetProperty(const std::string& prop,
         }
 
       static std::string output;
-      MakePropertyList(output, this->Internal->CompileDefinitionsEntries);
+      output = cmJoin(this->Internal->CompileDefinitionsEntries, ";");
       return output.c_str();
       }
     else if (prop == propIMPORTED)
@@ -4844,7 +4831,7 @@ cmTargetInternalPointer::~cmTargetInternalPointer()
   cmDeleteAll(this->Pointer->IncludeDirectoriesItems);
   cmDeleteAll(this->Pointer->CompileOptionsItems);
   cmDeleteAll(this->Pointer->CompileFeaturesItems);
-  cmDeleteAll(this->Pointer->CompileDefinitionsEntries);
+  cmDeleteAll(this->Pointer->CompileDefinitionsItems);
   cmDeleteAll(this->Pointer->SourceEntries);
   delete this->Pointer;
 }