input
Americannoun
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inputs
plural
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something that is put in.
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the act or process of putting in.
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the power or energy supplied to a machine.
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the current or voltage applied to an electric or electronic circuit or device.
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Computers.
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data to be entered into a computer for processing.
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the process of introducing data into the internal storage of a computer.
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contribution of information, ideas, opinions, or the like.
Before making a decision we need your input.
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the available data for solving a technical problem.
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Scot. a monetary contribution, as to charity.
adjective
verb (used with object)
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inputs,
present (3rd person singular)
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input,
past participle, past
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inputted,
past participle, past
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inputting
present participle
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Computers. to enter (data) into a computer for processing.
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to contribute (ideas, information, or suggestions) to a project, discussion, etc.
noun
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the act of putting in
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that which is put in
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(often plural) a resource required for industrial production, such as capital goods, labour services, raw materials, etc
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electronics
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the signal or current fed into a component or circuit
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the terminals, or some other point, to which the signal is applied
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computing the data fed into a computer from a peripheral device
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(modifier) of or relating to electronic, computer, or other input
verb
Other Word Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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inputsimple
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inputssimple
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have inputperfect
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have inputtedperfect
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has inputperfect
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has inputtedperfect
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am inputtingprogressive
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are inputtingprogressive
-
is inputtingprogressive
-
have been inputtingperfect progressive
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has been inputtingperfect progressive
Past
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inputsimple
-
inputtedsimple
-
had inputperfect
-
had inputtedperfect
-
was inputtingprogressive
-
were inputtingprogressive
-
had been inputtingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of input
Explanation
Input is that which is, well, put in—whether literally, as in "the input from the guitar to the speaker," or more conceptually, as in "the group leader wanted everybody's input." The verb input, in the computer sense, didn't exist much before the late 1940's when it became common among computer professionals, who input data into their machines. Why they weren't satisfied just to "put in" the data, we may never know. Before that, the noun input was an economic term meaning anything that went into production: the grain was just one input among several required for the production of cereal. But often, these days, input means a contribution of some kind, usually a thought. You'll thank me for my input later.
Vocabulary lists containing input
Economics
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Unit 1: Ecological Systems
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Functions (Introductory)
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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.
See Examples For:
"In the very short term, there is very little that governments can do. They can subsidise, for example, the price of fertiliser input... or fuel through subsidies," he said.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2026
Refinery capacity use rose to 93.5% from 92.7% the week before, with crude input to refineries up by 135,000 barrels a day at 16.6 million barrels a day.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 15, 2026
He is also concerned about high levels of private use without the input of health professionals.
From BBC ● Oct. 14, 2026
Refineries ran at 92.7% of capacity, up from 92.5% the week before, with crude input to refineries rising by 223,000 barrels a day to 16.5 million barrels a day.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 7, 2026
What about a little input from Dante himself?
From "Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe" by Benjamin Alire Saenz
The increased cost of electronic inputs in computers and consumer electronics goods is estimated to make up around 15 basis points in total to core PCE inflation until late in 2027.
From MarketWatch ● Oct. 14, 2026
Drawing on national reports and other inputs, a "global review" of collective improvements and pitfalls is being finalised.
From Barron's ● Oct. 12, 2026
Our bodies rely on three main sensory inputs to show that we're moving, which come from what we see, what our inner ear's balance system perceives, and what fibres in our body sense, he says.
From BBC ● Oct. 3, 2026
Instead, it uses machine learning to classify inputs to a set of predetermined outputs: “yes” or “no,” a numerical score, or answers on a list.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Oct. 2, 2026
“Imagine, though, if you could just change the right inputs; you could fix things before they went wrong.”
From "Everything, Everything" by Nicola Yoon
You can check your tax returns by making sure that the information this CPA inputted is correct; the software will do the rest.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 27, 2026
Employees who previously inputted orders are now focused on collecting receivables, Singh said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 25, 2026
They then inputted these charge values into computational models to mathematically predict how strong the electric field would be when a wasp approaches a caterpillar on a plant.
From Science Daily ● May 24, 2024
Mrs Reid said she was alerted to the BMI error in July 2021 during a phone call with one of the surgery doctors, who suggested her son's weight may have been incorrectly inputted.
From BBC ● May 9, 2024
Images, data, and simulations are part of the work and part of the shared knowledge, already available in formats that can be inputted for further work or can be technologically tested.
From The Civilization of Illiteracy by Mihai Nadin
If necessary, redo your taxes yourself, inputting the correct data.
From MarketWatch ● Mar. 27, 2026
Using the agent, Levi’s can finish inputting certain orders within minutes, whereas it used to take days, Chief Financial and Growth Officer Harmit Singh said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Mar. 25, 2026
One of AI’s most significant contributions so far is extracting data from standard common tax forms such as W-2s and 1099s and inputting it into tax returns.
From Barron's ● Jan. 31, 2026
"I know people can ride round with them with the alarm going off, so they can still use the bike without inputting any details," she said.
From BBC ● Jun. 20, 2025
Only when the series of equations had been sufficiently reduced would she start the process of inputting values and coming up with numbers using the calculating machines.
From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly
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Get a wordDefinitions 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.
