computing
Americannoun
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the use of a computer to process data or perform calculations.
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the act of calculating or reckoning.
noun
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the activity of using computers and writing programs for them
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the study of computers and their implications
adjective
Etymology
Origin of computing
Explanation
Computing is the act of calculating something––adding it up, multiplying it, or doing more complex math functions to it. Computers are named for this process, because they can compute faster than most people. The verb compute comes from a Latin word for pruning. You can think of it like cleaning up piles of data to get a clear result. If you run a shop and have lots of figures, for items sold and returned, and money paid for salaries and overhead, then you'll have to do some computing to know how much money you actually earned that day. It's also a type of engineering.
Vocabulary lists containing computing
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.
It isn’t just Oracle, a 49-year-old database and software company, that has a lot riding on its transformation into an AI computing provider.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026
Zhipu AI emerged from the prestigious Tsinghua University and was initially known for its strong focus on computing research.
From Barron's • Apr. 24, 2026
Anthropic is securing new capital commitments at a time when it has been constrained by the enormous computing power required to keep up with the surging growth of its hit product, Claude Code.
From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 24, 2026
"This model is a real step forward towards the kind of computing that we expect in the future, but it is one step, and we expect to see many."
From Barron's • Apr. 23, 2026
I have remained heavily involved in computing science, investigating and maintaining complex networks and studying everything from memes to artificial intelligence.
From "Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho" by Jon Katz
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.
