central processing unit

American  

noun

Computers.

1. CPU.

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central processing unit British  

noun

1.  CPU.  the part of a computer that performs logical and arithmetical operations on the data as specified in the instructions

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central processing unit Scientific  

1. The part of a computer that interprets and carries out instructions provided by the software. It tests and manipulates data, and transfers information to and from other components, such as the working memory, disk drive, monitor, and keyboard. The central processing units of personal computers are generally implemented on a single chip, called a microprocessor.

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Etymology

Origin of central processing unit

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

Investors have been weighing the possibility of a central processing unit, or CPU, shortage since late last year, according to Ryuta Makino, a research analyst at Gabelli Funds.

From Barron's • Jan. 22, 2026

The Vera Rubin “platform,” as Nvidia calls it, consists of six chips, including the Vera central processing unit, which Huang said delivers twice the performance per watt “of the world’s most advanced CPUs.”

From MarketWatch • Jan. 5, 2026

A readout of the machine's central processing unit "indicated that the escalator had stopped after a built-in safety mechanism on the comb step was triggered at the top of the escalator", he added.

From BBC • Sep. 23, 2025

I do not see my patients as an assemblage of data points in the way that they, perhaps, do not see me as merely a central processing unit in the flesh.

From Salon • Jun. 4, 2024

The bits are set on or off to store data, or to form a code that in turn sends instructions to the computer's central processing unit.

From The Online World by De Presno, Odd