Dictionary.com

personal computer

SEE SYNONYMS FOR personal computer

noun

a compact computer that uses a microprocessor and is designed for individual use, as by a person in an office or at home or school, for such applications as word processing, data management, financial analysis, or computer games. Abbreviation: PC

QUIZZES

BECOME A PRO CHEF WITH THIS EXQUISITE CUISINE QUIZ!

Even if you can't be a professional chef, you can at least talk like one with this vocabulary quiz.
Question 1 of 9
You may have read the word "simmer" in a recipe or two, but what does it really mean?
To cook in water that begins cold and then reaches a boil.
To stew in a sauce for a long time.
To cook in water, just below boiling temperature.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT

Origin of personal computer

First recorded in 1975–80

Words nearby personal computer

personage, persona grata, personal, personal care, personal column, personal computer, personal day, personal digital assistant, personal distance, personal effects, personal equation
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2020

Words related to personal computer

desktop computer, laptop, workstation, minicomputer, clone, computer, home computer, mac, microcomputer

Example sentences from the Web for personal computer

British Dictionary definitions for personal computer

personal computer

noun

a small inexpensive computer used in word processing, playing computer games, etc
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

Scientific definitions for personal computer

personal computer
[ pûr′sə-nəl ]

A computer built around a microprocessor for use by an individual. Personal computers have their own operating systems, software, and peripherals, and can generally be linked to networks. Compare mainframe.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Cultural definitions for personal computer

personal computer

A computer typically used in the home, office, or school. Also a generic term for a PC Microsoft® operating system.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.