processor

American  

[pros-es-er, proh-ses-] / ˈprɒs ɛs ər, ˈproʊ sɛs- /

Sometimes processer

noun

1. a person or thing that processes.

2. Computers.

   1. a controller, the key component of a computing device that contains the circuitry necessary to interpret and execute electrical signals fed into the device.

   2. a computer.

3. food processor.

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processor British  

/ ˈprəʊsɛsə /

noun

1. computing another name for central processing unit

2. a person or thing that carries out a process

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processor Scientific  

/ prŏs′ĕs′ər,prō′sĕs′- /

1. A part of a computer, such as the central processing unit, that performs calculations or other manipulations of data.

2. A program that translates another program into a form acceptable by the computer being used.

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Etymology

Origin of processor

First recorded in 1905–10; process + -or ²

Explanation

A processor is a person or machine that goes through certain procedures to achieve a particular result. A milk processor milks cows, stores the milk, pasteurizes it, and bottles it before you buy it a store. There are many different kinds of processors, but what they all have in common is going through a process, a series of specific steps, to accomplish something. The food processor in your kitchen quickly dices pounds of onions, a task that would take considerable work to complete by hand. A word processor does the same for writing, allowing you to easily edit text. Computer processors control and move vast amounts of data. The Latin root means "advance or progress."

Example Sentences

Franklin, who lives in Rogers, Texas, and works as an information processor, learned a few years ago that her diseases were connected after doing some research and attending a conference.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 9, 2026

The company on Tuesday unveiled the latest iteration of its Majorana quantum processor, which it redesigned using AI.

From Barron's • Jun. 3, 2026

“Hiring was more broad-based in May than we’ve seen in the last few years,” said Nela Richardson, chief economist at ADP, the U.S.’s largest processor of company payrolls.

From MarketWatch • Jun. 3, 2026

Focusing solely on processor or memory fails to capture the full picture of hardware efficiency, said Murphy.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 2, 2026

Today he’d removed it from the control panel and shut down Festus the figurehead for maintenance—something about rewiring his processor for a motor-control upgrade with the sphere, whatever the heck that meant.

From "The House of Hades" by Rick Riordan