computer

American  

[kuhm-pyoo-ter] / kəmˈpyu tər /

noun

1. a programmable electronic device designed to accept data, perform prescribed mathematical and logical operations at high speed, and display the results of these operations. Mainframes, desktop and laptop computers, tablets, and smartphones are some of the different types of computers.

2. a computer program or algorithm.

   A computer can write a pop tune, but there's no guarantee it will be a hit.

3. a person who computes; computist.

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computer British  

/ kəmˈpjuːtə /

noun

1. 1. a device, usually electronic, that processes data according to a set of instructions. The digital computer stores data in discrete units and performs arithmetical and logical operations at very high speed. The analog computer has no memory and is slower than the digital computer but has a continuous rather than a discrete input. The hybrid computer combines some of the advantages of digital and analog computers See also digital computer analog computer hybrid computer

   2. ( as modifier )

      computer technology

2. a person who computes or calculates

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computer Scientific  

/ kəm-pyo̅o̅′tər /

1. A programmable machine that performs high-speed processing of numbers, as well as of text, graphics, symbols, and sound. All computers contain a central processing unit that interprets and executes instructions; input devices, such as a keyboard and a mouse, through which data and commands enter the computer; memory that enables the computer to store programs and data; and output devices, such as printers and display screens, that show the results after the computer has processed data.

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computer Cultural  

1. An electronic device that stores and manipulates information. Unlike a calculator, it is able to store a program and retrieve information from its memory. Most computers today are digital, which means they perform operations with quantities represented electronically as digits.

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Other Word Forms

• computerlike adjective
• noncomputer adjective

Etymology

Origin of computer

First recorded in 1640–50; compute + -er ¹; compare Middle French computeur

Explanation

Unless you're living in a cave cut off from humanity, you've seen these electronic machines with a screen, keyboard, and brain that stores massive amounts of information. Computers are ubiquitous in offices, airports, schools...even caves cut off from humanity. Though computers are a thoroughly modern invention, the root word that gave them their name dates all the way back to Roman times. Tech geeks dreamed up computer by embellishing the English word compute, which means "to calculate." Compute, in turn, comes from Latin com-, "with" and putare, "to reckon." So, your computer is a device that helps you reckon — or think. It also comes in handy for email and every type of entertainment imaginable.

Example Sentences

Perhaps the Southern Section’s computer rankings will reflect that feat after the Lancers were ranked No. 51 in this week’s Southern Section power rankings.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 11, 2026

To move beyond these limitations, Mercier and his team, including first author Jae-Young Ko, an electrical and computer engineering Ph.D. student at UC San Diego, investigated a different approach using piezoelectric resonators.

From Science Daily • Apr. 10, 2026

A brainwave interface translating these signals into computer instructions then allowed her to convey which of these movements she wanted her mixed-reality avatar to dance in real-time.

From BBC • Apr. 10, 2026

Speculation is also swirling over the geopolitical implications of which computer chips were chosen to train and power the new system: world-leading US designs or made-in-China alternatives that the country is racing to develop.

From Barron's • Apr. 9, 2026

Once the mail’s sorted, I turn on the computer to check the marina’s email and notice another envelope that I missed, wedged behind the monitor.

From "Red Flags and Butterflies" by Sheryl Azzam

Related Words

• PC
• data processor
• desktop computer
• personal computer