Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com

Perl

American  
[purl] / pɜrl /
Digital Technology, Trademark.
  1. a high-level scripting language, originally created to help automate text processing, now used more broadly.


Perl British  
/ pɜːl /

noun

  1. a computer language that is used for text manipulation, esp on the Internet

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Etymology

Origin of Perl

Coined in 1987 by Perl's creator, Larry Wall, U.S. computer programmer (born 1954)

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:

Mr. Perl is an art critic and the author of the novel “We Never Called It Frisco.”

From The Wall Street Journal Aug. 31, 2026

Four years ago, Isobel Perl was living with friends in London and thriving.

From BBC Dec. 28, 2024

In New York City, meanwhile, soil expert Sara Perl Egendorf saw that residents weren't sure how best to protect against soil lead contamination in urban gardens.

From Salon Mar. 22, 2023

But architecture critic Jed Perl described the light in the galleries as “beatific, serene.”

From Washington Post Dec. 30, 2022

But old attitudes and distorted stubborn impressions of my father outlived Arnold Perl and James Baldwin.

From "The Autobiography of Malcolm X" by Alex Malcolm X;Hailey

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Join 12,000,000 vocabulary learners

Start learning new words today on VocabTrainer.
You'll remember them forever.

Start training