optical character recognition

American  

noun

Computers.

1. the process or technology of reading data in printed form by a device optical character reader that scans and identifies characters. OCR

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optical character recognition Scientific  

1. The electronic identification and digital encoding of printed or handwritten characters by means of an optical scanner and specialized software.

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Etymology

Origin of optical character recognition

First recorded in 1960–65

Example Sentences

Before AI, technology known as optical character recognition could scan documents into a digital format.

From Barron's • Jan. 31, 2026

But the repository stores firearms purchaser information and other data as image files without optical character recognition - meaning firearms purchaser information can’t be searched using text.

From Salon • Jul. 18, 2024

LaHood said afterwards he was hopeful Raffensperger’s office might propose a new solution using optical character recognition software.

From Seattle Times • Jan. 23, 2024

“Particularly, there's been a lot of advancements made in optical character recognition, which allows researchers to identify names and handwritten records,” Field says.

From National Geographic • Aug. 31, 2023

The project uses optical character recognition software, which reads signs in the photographs, and computer vision technology, which tags images.

From Los Angeles Times • Oct. 7, 2020