laptop

[lap-top]

noun

1. a portable computer, usually battery-powered, small enough to rest on the user's lap and having a screen that closes over the keyboard like a lid.

laptop

/ ˈlæpˌtɒp /

noun

1. a personal computer that is small and light enough to be operated on the user's lap Compare palmtop computer

laptop

1. A portable, compact personal computer that can run on a battery.

Word History and Origins

Origin of laptop¹

First recorded in 1980–85; lap ¹ + top ¹

Example Sentences

But what if many of those same problems could be handled by a regular laptop?

Read more on Science Daily

We sat on Air Mail’s back patio, surrounded by clusters of people reading, working on their laptops and talking among themselves.

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Most finished consumer goods, such as laptops and smartphones, will likely fall short of the threshold, said research firm Capital Economics, but intermediate goods such as motors may exceed it.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

"He shut his laptop, picked it up and walked off the coach," he said.

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A local ordinance on the appropriate use of phones, laptops and tablets came into force last week in Toyoake, a largely grey, concrete suburb of the industrial metropolis Nagoya.

Read more on Barron's

Related Words

• PC 
• data processor www.thesaurus.com
• desktop computer www.thesaurus.com
• personal computer