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• machine-readable
  machine-readable

  adjective

  of or relating to data encoded on an appropriate medium and in a form suitable for processing by computer.
• machine readable
  machine readable

  adjective

  (of data) in a form in which it can be fed into a computer

machine-readable

American  

[muh-sheen-ree-duh-buhl] / məˈʃinˈri də bəl /

adjective

Computers.

1. of or relating to data encoded on an appropriate medium and in a form suitable for processing by computer.

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machine readable British  

adjective

1. (of data) in a form in which it can be fed into a computer

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Etymology

Origin of machine-readable

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

JFrog’s focus is building a system of record for companies to manage and secure their binary code—the machine-readable language underlying software programs.

From Barron's • May 7, 2026

Then think of “business ontology” as a digital, machine-readable version of the company, like the New York & Erie Railroad’s signaling tree.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 1, 2026

The first security watermark was added in 1972 and machine-readable passports were introduced in 1988.

From BBC • Oct. 10, 2025

The company then proceeded to strip the books’ bindings, cut their pages and scan them into digital and machine-readable forms, according to the decision.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 25, 2025

One of the first was a compiler named VUCK, which converted programs written in the popular C programming language into machine-readable code.

From Free as in Freedom: Richard Stallman's Crusade for Free Software by Williams, Sam