technology
Americannoun
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the branch of knowledge that deals with the creation and use of technical means and their interrelation with life, society, and the environment, drawing upon such subjects as industrial arts, engineering, applied science, and pure science.
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the application of this knowledge for practical ends.
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the terminology of an art, science, etc.; technical nomenclature.
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a scientific or industrial process, invention, method, or the like.
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the sum of the ways in which social groups provide themselves with the material objects of their civilization.
noun
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the application of practical sciences to industry or commerce
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the methods, theory, and practices governing such application
a highly developed technology
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the total knowledge and skills available to any human society for industry, art, science, etc
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The use of scientific knowledge to solve practical problems, especially in industry and commerce.
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The specific methods, materials, and devices used to solve practical problems.
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Etymology
Origin of technology
First recorded in 1605–15, technology is from the Greek word technología systematic treatment. See techno-, -logy
Explanation
Technology is using science to solve a problem or create a product. You probably have some gadgets and gizmos, like cell phones and video games, that you really enjoy. These are products of technology. Technology consists of all the things science allows people to make and do. New cars, new surgical techniques, new computers, and even robots are all examples of technology. Since science is always advancing, technology is too. The more scientists learn, the more technology allows us to do — it's very exciting.
Vocabulary lists containing technology
TEKS ELAR Academic Vocabulary List (5th-7th grades)
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"Black Panther" Lingo
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The Ingenious Lexicon of Invention
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
The Technology newsletter is a weekly digest of tech reviews, columns and headlines from Deputy Tech & Media Editor Wilson Rothman, Deputy Tech Bureau Chief Brad Olson and tech intern Tina Li.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 14, 2026
David Sacks, Trump’s former AI czar and current co-chair of the President’s Council of Advisers on Science and Technology, said that Anthropic refused to fix a jailbreak of the guardails in its Fable model.
From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 14, 2026
On Thursday, tenants and organizers gathered outside the theater at the New York City College of Technology for a block party, but not just any block party.
From Salon • Jun. 13, 2026
On Thursday it made a comeback by soaring 2.5%, with Intel advancing 9.3% and Micron Technology leaping 12%.
From The Wall Street Journal • Jun. 12, 2026
“The research shows you can take older people who aren’t functioning well and make them cognitively younger through this training,” Earl Miller, a neuroscientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology told me.
From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel
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Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.