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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.

Intel stands to benefit from a CPU boom and a growing array of partnerships, but an analyst notes it’s “not out of the woods yet.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 10, 2026

Intel and Google are also expanding their partnership for the co-development of custom infrastructure processing units, or IPUs, which are designed to offload networking, storage and security tasks from the CPU.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 9, 2026

Simpson also said that Arm’s shift into the CPU business could put the company in competition with its own customers, chip makers who use the company’s designs.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 7, 2026

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

From Barron's • Mar. 26, 2026

Boo carries dirty glasses to the kitchen, Ana and I wipe the table, and CPU licks frosting off the floor.

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.