computer

American  

[kuhm-pyoo-ter] / kəmˈpju tər /

noun

• computers
  plural

1. 

   a programmable electronic device designed to accept data, perform prescribed mathematical and logical operations at high speed, and display the results of these operations. Mainframes, desktop and laptop computers, tablets, and smartphones are some of the different types of computers.

2. a computer program or algorithm.

   A computer can write a pop tune, but there's no guarantee it will be a hit.

3. a person who computes; computist.

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computer British  

/ kəmˈpjuːtə /

noun

1. 1. a device, usually electronic, that processes data according to a set of instructions. The digital computer stores data in discrete units and performs arithmetical and logical operations at very high speed. The analog computer has no memory and is slower than the digital computer but has a continuous rather than a discrete input. The hybrid computer combines some of the advantages of digital and analog computers See also digital computer analog computer hybrid computer

   2. ( as modifier )

      computer technology

2. a person who computes or calculates

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computer Scientific  

/ kəm-pyo̅o̅′tər /

1. A programmable machine that performs high-speed processing of numbers, as well as of text, graphics, symbols, and sound. All computers contain a central processing unit that interprets and executes instructions; input devices, such as a keyboard and a mouse, through which data and commands enter the computer; memory that enables the computer to store programs and data; and output devices, such as printers and display screens, that show the results after the computer has processed data.

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computer Cultural  

1. An electronic device that stores and manipulates information. Unlike a calculator, it is able to store a program and retrieve information from its memory. Most computers today are digital, which means they perform operations with quantities represented electronically as digits.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• computerlike
  adjective
• noncomputer
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• computers
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of computer

First recorded in 1640–50; compute + -er ¹; compare Middle French computeur

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Explanation

Unless you're living in a cave cut off from humanity, you've seen these electronic machines with a screen, keyboard, and brain that stores massive amounts of information. Computers are ubiquitous in offices, airports, schools...even caves cut off from humanity. Though computers are a thoroughly modern invention, the root word that gave them their name dates all the way back to Roman times. Tech geeks dreamed up computer by embellishing the English word compute, which means "to calculate." Compute, in turn, comes from Latin com-, "with" and putare, "to reckon." So, your computer is a device that helps you reckon — or think. It also comes in handy for email and every type of entertainment imaginable.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

computer computers

By quickly identifying the processes responsible for most of the observed atmospheric changes, astronomers can better determine which features deserve closer examination using more complicated computer models.

From Science Daily ● Oct. 17, 2026

Pitching the crowd of creatives on Wednesday, he said the transition from practical effects to computer graphics was equally fraught.

From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 17, 2026

A Russian drone zips across the computer screen, startling the commanders keeping watch over the battlefield via a live stream in their bunker.

From BBC ● Oct. 16, 2026

Macs are popular for running AI models because they pack lots of specialized computer memory that is shared among chips inside the machine.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026

As Gabi opens the search engine on her computer, I find myself thinking about Bubbe and why she might have this newspaper page in her box, hidden even more deeply than the rest.

From "Code Name Kingfisher" by Liz Kessler

Dell has plenty of competitors selling big, powerful computers, including Super Micro, HPE and Lenovo.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 16, 2026

The Wall Street Journal reported that her cellphone, notebooks, personal computers and passport were among the items that were seized.

From BBC ● Oct. 15, 2026

I traipsed down corridors full of smart young people tapping away at their computers, seemingly doing things.

From Slate ● Oct. 15, 2026

The memory market could be different, Musk said, though random-access memory, which is used in computers and laptops for temporary storage, was essentially a commoditized product only a few years ago, he added.

From MarketWatch ● Oct. 13, 2026

He was genuinely interested in computers, not for their own sake but for their service to a lifelong obsession: the inner workings of the stock market.

From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis

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Related Words

• PC
• data processor
• desktop computer
• personal computer

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