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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.


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

"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

Etymology

Origin of input/output

First recorded in 1910–15

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.

The future of human-machine interfaces is on the cusp of a revolution with the unveiling of a groundbreaking technology -- a stretchable high-resolution multicolor synesthesia display that generates synchronized sound and light as input/output sources.

From Science Daily • Oct. 12, 2023

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