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Synonyms

CPU

American  

abbreviation

Computers.

  1. central processing unit: the key component of a computer system, which contains the circuitry necessary to interpret and execute program instructions.

CPU British  

abbreviation

  1. central processing unit

"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
CPU Scientific  

  1. Abbreviation of central processing unit

CPU Cultural  

  1. An abbreviation for c entral p rocessing u nit. The “brain” of a computer, the CPU is where data manipulation actually takes place. The results of these manipulations are then stored in the computer memory. Microprocessors perform this function in personal computers.

Etymology

Origin of CPU

First recorded in 1965–70

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.

First, chip designer Arm Holdings revealed its first-ever data-center central processing unit, or CPU, last week.

From Barron's • Mar. 30, 2026

Nvidia, a major customer for Arm’s basic designs, is stepping up its own CPU efforts in a big way.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026

For his part, Arm CEO Rene Haas thinks there is plenty of business to go around in CPU chips for AI.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026

Arm expects its AGI CPU to generate $15 billion in annual revenue by fiscal 2031.

From Barron's • Mar. 26, 2026

He collects his laptops and his thermos and goes inside, with CPU trotting after him.

From "The Tenth Mistake of Hank Hooperman" by Gennifer Choldenko

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.