data processing

American  

[dey-tuh pros-es-ing, dat-uh, dah-tuh] / ˈdeɪ tə ˌprɒs ɛs ɪŋ, ˈdæt ə, ˈdɑ tə /

noun

1. processing of information, especially the handling of information by computers in accordance with strictly defined procedures and operations, as aggregation, sorting, analysis, or validation. DP

---

data processing British  

noun

1. 1. a sequence of operations performed on data, esp by a computer, in order to extract information, reorder files, etc

   2. ( as modifier )

      a data-processing centre

---

data processing Cultural  

1. Either the preparation of data for processing by a computer, or the storage and processing of raw data by the computer itself.

---

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• data processor
  noun

Etymology

Origin of data processing

First recorded in 1950–55

Example Sentences

"With further development and commercialization, this type of multidimensional holographic data storage could enable smaller data centers and more efficient large-scale archival storage, while also enhancing data processing and transmission efficiency," said Tan.

From Science Daily • Mar. 29, 2026

The negative catalyst was a blog post from Anthropic, which highlighted a new Claude Code feature that automates the modernization of common business-oriented language, a programming language used for data processing.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 24, 2026

The problem is that people and businesses fail to distinguish between data processing and data analysis and visualization, says Prof Mark Whitehorn, emeritus professor of analytics at Dundee University.

From BBC • Jan. 8, 2026

The first is the move from CPUs to GPUs for tasks like data processing.

From Barron's • Nov. 20, 2025

With a little luck and some hard work, he predicted, Sasha might be able to hold down a low-level job doing data processing.

From "The 57 Bus" by Dashka Slater