input/output

American  

[in-poot-out-poot] / ˈɪnˌpʊtˈaʊtˌpʊt /

noun

1. the process of input or output, encompassing the devices, techniques, media, and data used.

   A good first step in designing a program is to define the input/output.

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adjective

1. pertaining to input or output: I/O

   Early input/output devices were slow.

input/output British  

noun

1.  I/O.  the data or information that is passed into or out of a computer

2. (modifier) concerned with or relating to such passage of data or information

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Etymology

Origin of input/output

First recorded in 1910–15

Example Sentences

The processor includes central processing units, computational offloads, advanced networking systems, memory, and input/output interfaces.

From Science Daily • May 15, 2026

To understand the messages, she has to master coding concepts like input/output, loops and variables.

From New York Times • Aug. 21, 2017

Figure 1.2 A function can be visualized as an input/output device.

From Textbooks • Mar. 30, 2016

The overall result, complicated input/output paraphernalia notwithstanding, is par with having frog legs twitch when they receive an electric current, or with people’s legs jerking when hit at the knee with a doctor’s hammer.

From Scientific American • Sep. 9, 2013

The body as an "input/output device" is just one example of how digital technology is creating a new sort of biological discourse.

From The Guardian • Jan. 25, 2013