compute
Americanverb (used with object)
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computes,
present (3rd person singular)
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computed,
past participle, past
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computing
present participle
verb (used without object)
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computes,
present (3rd person singular)
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computed,
past participle, past
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computing
present participle
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to reckon; calculate.
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to use a computer or calculator.
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Informal. to make sense; add up.
His reasons for doing that just don't compute.
noun
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Outer space is vast beyond compute.
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the processing, memory, and storage resources required for a computer, network, or program to function.
To meet today's business demands, you need a solid foundation of compute.
adjective
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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computabilitynoun
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computistnoun
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uncomputablenessnoun
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miscomputeverb
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precomputeverb
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recomputeverb (used with object)
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computableadjective
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uncomputableadjective
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uncomputedadjective
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computablyadverb
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uncomputablyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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computesimple
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computessimple
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have computedperfect
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has computedperfect
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am computingprogressive
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are computingprogressive
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is computingprogressive
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have been computingperfect progressive
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has been computingperfect progressive
Past
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computedsimple
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had computedperfect
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was computingprogressive
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were computingprogressive
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had been computingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of compute
First recorded in 1375–1425, for an earlier sense; 1580–90 compute for def. 6; (for the verb) from Latin computāre, from com- com- + putāre “to think”; (for the noun) late Middle English from Middle French from Late Latin computus “calculation, number,” noun derivative of computāre; cf. count 1, putative
Explanation
When you solve a mathematical problem, you compute the answer. To compute is to calculate, either literally or figuratively. Computers do the math for you, faster than humans ever can. You'll often hear someone say that something "does not compute." This means it doesn't add up, it doesn't make sense. You might compute how long it will take you to get to school or the likelihood that your mother will let you stay out late.
Vocabulary lists containing compute
Academic Vocabulary: Core Tier 2 Words, List 4
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The Number System
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Number and Operations: Fractions
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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.
See Examples For:
We used the hydrogen formation history found through these simulations to compute predictions for how cosmic microwave background should appear if there were primordial magnetic fields, and tested these predictions against observations of the background.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 4, 2026
Nvidia looks to insurers to backstop AI chip loans, spread compute financing risk.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 29, 2026
Tom Brown, an Anthropic co-founder and chief compute officer at the company, has been leading many interactions with the administration after helping resolve the shutdown.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026
“We still don’t have enough compute to serve existing demand,” Gogia said.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 25, 2026
“And I want you to tell me what the needles register. Just give me the calibration; I can compute it.”
From "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick
Meanwhile, the combined 609 lb-ft of torque computes to 4,400 pounds’ towing capacity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 27, 2026
But Destiny Tech100 only computes its NAV quarterly, which means investors will not get an update on its fair value until the end of its fiscal second quarter.
From MarketWatch ● May 13, 2026
With quantum computers, it will be possible to run massive computes to see how different molecules react with each other to find out what works and with what side-effects.
From BBC ● Apr. 13, 2026
They are a specific kind of physical process that computes by unfolding through time.
From Science Daily ● Dec. 24, 2025
And during that week after his birthday, Mama Nee is working third shift, so that computes to just about every night.
From "Odd One Out" by Nic Stone
Price said newer security machines that TSA is installing to replace traditional X-ray machines have computed tomography capabilities, which "can do a much better job of detecting liquid-based explosives".
From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026
Software also will be needed to present what AI has computed in a way that people can understand, he said.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 26, 2026
“I computed the statistics,” he says, “and decided it was fifty-fifty.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 23, 2026
This method constructs predictive models by sorting and combining data into groups, where they are computed in different combinations repeatedly until the best and most reliable data combination is identified.
From Science Daily ● Nov. 19, 2024
Her glowing eyes darted around as she computed a plan.
From "The Wild Robot" by Peter Brown
As the physical home for the computing power used by phones, computers and AI, the demand for these centres will grow.
From BBC ● Oct. 4, 2026
Politicians who once championed the AI infrastructure build-out have changed their tunes right as companies are pouring hundreds of billions of dollars into ramping up computing capacity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
Koch was one of the researchers involved in developing the transmon - a superconducting qubit design that is now widely used in quantum computing.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 1, 2026
Researchers at the University of Surrey have proposed a new kind of qubit that could help address one of the biggest obstacles in quantum computing: keeping error rates low as systems become larger.
From Science Daily ● Oct. 1, 2026
I had heard through the grapevine that a former math teacher named Dorothy Vaughan was running NACA’s highly regarded West Area computing unit, which was composed entirely of Colored women.
From "Reaching for the Moon" by Katherine Johnson
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.
