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

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

Many technologies that people take for granted today came about when innovators designed for users with disabilities, including optical character recognition, which allows computers to read printed text.

From Salon • Jul. 11, 2021

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