computer

American  

[kuhm-pyoo-ter] / kəmˈpju tər /

noun

computers plural

1. a programmable electronic device designed to accept data, perform prescribed mathematical and logical operations at high speed, and display the results of these operations. Mainframes, desktop and laptop computers, tablets, and smartphones are some of the different types of computers.

2. a computer program or algorithm.

   A computer can write a pop tune, but there's no guarantee it will be a hit.

3. a person who computes; computist.

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computer British  

/ kəmˈpjuːtə /

noun

1. 1. a device, usually electronic, that processes data according to a set of instructions. The digital computer stores data in discrete units and performs arithmetical and logical operations at very high speed. The analog computer has no memory and is slower than the digital computer but has a continuous rather than a discrete input. The hybrid computer combines some of the advantages of digital and analog computers See also digital computer analog computer hybrid computer

   2. ( as modifier )

      computer technology

2. a person who computes or calculates

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computer Scientific  

/ kəm-pyo̅o̅′tər /

1. A programmable machine that performs high-speed processing of numbers, as well as of text, graphics, symbols, and sound. All computers contain a central processing unit that interprets and executes instructions; input devices, such as a keyboard and a mouse, through which data and commands enter the computer; memory that enables the computer to store programs and data; and output devices, such as printers and display screens, that show the results after the computer has processed data.

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computer Cultural  

1. An electronic device that stores and manipulates information. Unlike a calculator, it is able to store a program and retrieve information from its memory. Most computers today are digital, which means they perform operations with quantities represented electronically as digits.

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• computerlike
  adjective
• noncomputer
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• computers
  plural

Etymology

Origin of computer

First recorded in 1640–50; compute + -er ¹; compare Middle French computeur

Explanation

Unless you're living in a cave cut off from humanity, you've seen these electronic machines with a screen, keyboard, and brain that stores massive amounts of information. Computers are ubiquitous in offices, airports, schools...even caves cut off from humanity. Though computers are a thoroughly modern invention, the root word that gave them their name dates all the way back to Roman times. Tech geeks dreamed up computer by embellishing the English word compute, which means "to calculate." Compute, in turn, comes from Latin com-, "with" and putare, "to reckon." So, your computer is a device that helps you reckon — or think. It also comes in handy for email and every type of entertainment imaginable.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

computer computers

Quakebot, a computer application that monitors the latest earthquakes detected by the USGS, contributed to this report.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026

One mutual-fund manager’s reaction: “If people start believing this random-walk garbage and switch to index funds, a lot of $80,000-a-year portfolio managers and analysts will be replaced by $16,000-a-year computer clerks. It just can’t happen.”

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 28, 2026

Insatiable demand for computer memory and other technologies needed to build artificial intelligence boomed again in the second quarter, and could spur another above-average increase in economic growth.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 27, 2026

Helton was working on her computer on her back porch when visited by a ProPublica reporter.

From Salon ● Jul. 27, 2026

I open my computer and search for list poems, and tons of examples come up.

From "Keeping Pace" by Laurie Morrison

He also helped investigate ways to improve the production of materials in space for use in high performance computers and electronics.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 27, 2026

The field of lightweight, mid-engine sports cars is shrinking as manufacturers move on and computers take over more of the driving.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 25, 2026

The information from 2018 gave detectives a second strand of evidence, and grounds to monitor every keystroke that Greer made on police computers.

From BBC ● Jul. 23, 2026

Tennessee: Clothing and shoes under $100 per item and computers under $1,500 are tax-free between July 31 and Aug. 2.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026

Mr. Shephard comes over from time to time to read what I have, and when I’m done, I sit at one of the computers to type it up.

From "Isaiah Dunn Is My Hero" by Kelly J. Baptist

Related Words

• PC
• data processor
• desktop computer
• personal computer