compute

[ kuhm-pyoot ]

/ kəmˈpyut /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR compute ON THESAURUS.COM

verb (used with object), com·put·ed, com·put·ing.

to determine by calculation; reckon; calculate: to compute the period of Jupiter's revolution.

to determine by using a computer or calculator.

verb (used without object), com·put·ed, com·put·ing.

to reckon; calculate.

to use a computer or calculator.

Informal. to make sense; add up: His reasons for doing that just don't compute.

noun

computation: outer space that is vast beyond compute.

Nearby words

computation, computational, computational complexity, computational fluid dynamics, computational linguistics, compute, computed tomography, computer, computer age, computer animation, computer architecture

Origin of compute

1375–1425 for earlier sense; 1580–90 for def 6; (v.) < Latin computāre, equivalent to com- com- + putāre to think; (noun) late Middle English < Middle French < Late Latin computus calculation, number, noun derivative of computāre; cf. putative, count¹

SYNONYMS FOR compute

1 estimate, count, figure.

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR compute ON THESAURUS.COM

Related forms

com·put·a·ble, adjectivecom·put·a·bil·i·ty, nouncom·put·a·bly, adverbcom·put·ist

[kuhm-pyoo-tist, kom-pyoo-] /kəmˈpyu tɪst, ˈkɒm pyʊ-/, noun

mis·com·pute, verb, mis·com·put·ed, mis·com·put·ing.pre·com·pute, verb, pre·com·put·ed, pre·com·put·ing.re·com·pute, verb (used with object), re·com·put·ed, re·com·put·ing.un·com·put·a·ble, adjectiveun·com·put·a·ble·ness, nounun·com·put·a·bly, adverbun·com·put·ed, adjective

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for compute

From the dawn of supercomputing to the 2-in-1 PC, this is not so much a history of computers as it is the story of how we compute.
How We Compute: Flexible Hardware Required||September 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
This is hard to compute, considering that their personal wealth is not recent, nor were questions about it unexpected.
What Hillary Clinton Can Learn From Portugal, Costa Rica, and England in the World Cup|Nathan Daschle|July 1, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The key thing is to be able to compute the exact origin of these signals: position and depth.
If They Are Ever Found, Flight 370’s Black Boxes Should Go to the U.S.|Clive Irving|April 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The death toll for which Stalin must bear the blame is not easy to compute, but it cannot be less than twenty million.
Why the World Cannot Forget Stalin|Paul Johnson|February 8, 2014|DAILY BEAST

Terman and his assistant relied on biographical accounts of illustrious individuals to compute the scores.
What is a Genius?|Nick Romeo|November 9, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The experts in physiology even claim that they can compute how often a man of sixty has changed his flesh, bones, skin, and hair.
The Positive Outcome of Philosophy|Joseph Dietzgen
Nor could she compute satisfactorily the time that passed during the rest of the trip.
Campfire Girls in the Allegheny Mountains|Stella M. Francis
Compute the cost per serving by dividing the cost of the chicken by the number of servings it made.
Woman's Institute Library of Cookery, Vol. 3|Woman's Institute of Domestic Arts and Sciences
And did ten times as much damage getting it, and there was no scale of values by which to compute the death and suffering.
Space Viking|Henry Beam Piper
I speak of the way to compute overdrive speed exactly and how to vary it.
Talents, Incorporated|William Fitzgerald Jenkins

British Dictionary definitions for compute

compute

/ (kəmˈpjuːt) /

verb

to calculate (an answer, result, etc), often with the aid of a computer

noun

calculation; computation (esp in the phrase beyond compute)

Derived Forms

computable, adjectivecomputability, noun

Word Origin for compute

C17: from Latin computāre, from putāre to think

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

compute

verb (used with object), com·put·ed, com·put·ing.

verb (used without object), com·put·ed, com·put·ing.

noun

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Nearby words

Origin of compute

SYNONYMS FOR compute

Related forms

Examples from the Web for compute

British Dictionary definitions for compute

compute

verb

noun

Derived Forms

Word Origin for compute