processor

American  

[pros-es-er, proh-ses-] / ˈprɒs ɛs ər, ˈproʊ sɛs- /

Sometimes processer

noun

• processors
  plural

1. a person or thing that processes.

2. Computers.

   1. a controller, the key component of a computing device that contains the circuitry necessary to interpret and execute electrical signals fed into the device.

   2. a computer.

3. food processor.

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processor British  

/ ˈprəʊsɛsə /

noun

1. computing another name for central processing unit

2. a person or thing that carries out a process

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processor Scientific  

/ prŏs′ĕs′ər,prō′sĕs′- /

1. A part of a computer, such as the central processing unit, that performs calculations or other manipulations of data.

2. A program that translates another program into a form acceptable by the computer being used.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• processors
  plural

Etymology

Origin of processor

First recorded in 1905–10; process + -or ²

Explanation

A processor is a person or machine that goes through certain procedures to achieve a particular result. A milk processor milks cows, stores the milk, pasteurizes it, and bottles it before you buy it a store. There are many different kinds of processors, but what they all have in common is going through a process, a series of specific steps, to accomplish something. The food processor in your kitchen quickly dices pounds of onions, a task that would take considerable work to complete by hand. A word processor does the same for writing, allowing you to easily edit text. Computer processors control and move vast amounts of data. The Latin root means "advance or progress."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

processor processors

They say communications tasks that take about 4,000 nanoseconds for an Nvidia Blackwell processor to perform can be done by Etched’s chips in 700 nanoseconds, thanks to the chip’s architecture and custom interconnections.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 18, 2026

Make the filling: Pulse the cream cheese, Parmesan, giardiniera and herbs in a food processor until chunky and spreadable, not smooth.

From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026

She added that Albert Straus, a private equity-backed organic dairy processor in Petaluma, also reached out to Kennedy.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 16, 2026

Make the cornbread crumbs: While the squash cooks, tear the cornbread into roughly pebble-size pieces by hand, or pulse it briefly in a food processor.

From Salon ● Aug. 16, 2026

I pushed a food processor to the side.

From "Keep It Together, Keiko Carter" by Debbi Michiko Florence

The company is also asking platforms like social-media companies, payment processors and credit-card companies, and shipping services to step in.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 12, 2026

Lilly has also referred the bad actors to regulators and law enforcement, and is calling on social media platforms and payment processors to help stop black market sales of the drug.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 12, 2026

Nvidia stock was rising after Amazon raised its capital expenditure forecast and played down competition between its custom AI chips and Nvidia’s processors.

From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 2026

Unlike rail tracks – which once built are good for decades – data centres are likely to need upgrading frequently to include the latest and fastest processors.

From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026

Word processors have dictionaries, but not common sense—at least not yet.

From "Woe Is I" by Patricia T. O'Conner