calculator

American  

[kal-kyuh-ley-ter] / ˈkæl kjəˌleɪ tər /

noun

• calculators
  plural

1. a person who calculates or computes.

2. Also called calculating machine.  a small electronic or mechanical device that performs calculations, requiring manual action for each individual operation.

3. a person who operates such a machine.

4. a set of tables that facilitates calculation.

---

calculator British  

/ ˈkælkjʊˌleɪtə /

noun

1. a device for performing mathematical calculations, esp an electronic device that can be held in the hand

2. a person or thing that calculates

3. a set of tables used as an aid to calculations

---

calculator Cultural  

1. An electronic device for performing automatic mathematical computations, usually controlled by a keyboard. Some are actually small computers, with limited memory, that allow the user to use simple programs.

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• minicalculator
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• calculators
  plural

Etymology

Origin of calculator

First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Latin; see calculate, -tor

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

calculator calculators

If Bessent’s calculator is telling him those numbers are going down, he can borrow mine.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 21, 2026

They used a risk calculator called Boadicea that combines factors such as family history, lifestyle, reproductive history and genetic information to give a risk score.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026

Almost every financial calculator you will use will also want this information, too.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 22, 2026

Grab your calculator and take our business of sports test.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026

The casing shattered, circuitry crunched, shrapnel tittered on the floor as the fifteen millimeter-thick calculator turned into a three millimeter-thick calculator.

From "Black Swan Green" by David Mitchell

Some say customers aren’t exactly paying for innovation, but rather for decades of familiarity on the educator side — along with textbooks that build the calculators into their curricula.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026

Several breast cancer risk calculators like Boadicea already exist and none are perfect.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026

Electronic calculators, for instance, may have helped users solve equations -- but left the method and reasoning process in human hands.

From Barron's ● Jul. 15, 2026

The Roth conversion calculators in these financial-planning programs are designed to model and quantify the analysis to tell you whether you will end up paying more tax now or more tax later.

From MarketWatch ● May 15, 2026

“Everyone uses calculators in middle school,” I say, not sure if that’s even true.

From "Free Lunch" by Rex Ogle