program
Americannoun
-
programs
plural
-
a plan of action to accomplish a specified end.
a school lunch program.
-
a plan or schedule of activities, procedures, etc., to be followed.
-
a broadcasted television or radio production or similar internet-based content produced for distribution.
-
Also called computer program. Digital Technology. a precise sequence of instructions enabling a computer to perform a task; a piece of software.
-
a collection of principles, actions, objectives, etc., established with a long-term goal in mind; platform; policy.
A review of our education initiatives and programs suggests we are meeting our goals.
-
a list of items, pieces, performers, etc., in a musical, theatrical, or other entertainment.
-
an entertainment with reference to its pieces or numbers.
a program of American and French music.
-
a planned, coordinated group of activities, procedures, etc., often for a specific purpose, or a facility offering such a series of activities.
a drug rehabilitation program;
a graduate program in linguistics.
-
a prospectus or syllabus.
a program of courses being offered.
verb (used with object)
-
programs,
present (3rd person singular)
-
programmed,
past participle, past
-
programed,
past participle, past
-
programming,
present participle
-
programing
present participle
-
to schedule as part of a program.
-
Digital Technology. to write code for (a computer program or application).
-
to insert or encode specific operating instructions into (a machine or apparatus).
We'll program the bells to ring at ten-minute intervals.
-
to insert (instructions) into a machine or apparatus.
An automatic release has been programmed into the lock as a safety feature.
-
to cause to absorb or incorporate automatic responses, attitudes, or the like; condition.
Our parents programmed us to respect our elders.
-
to set, regulate, or modify so as to produce a specific response or reaction.
Program your eating habits to eliminate sweets.
verb (used without object)
-
programs,
present (3rd person singular)
-
programmed,
past participle, past
-
programed,
past participle, past
-
programming,
present participle
-
programing
present participle
-
to plan or write a program.
-
Digital Technology. to write computer code.
noun
verb
-
(tr) to feed a program into (a computer)
-
(tr) to arrange (data) into a suitable form so that it can be processed by a computer
-
(intr) to write a program
-
A organized system of instructions and data interpreted by a computer. Programming instructions are often referred to as code.
-
See more at source code See also programming language
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
-
programsimple
-
programssimple
-
have programedperfect
-
have programmedperfect
-
has programedperfect
-
has programmedperfect
-
am programingprogressive
-
am programmingprogressive
-
are programingprogressive
-
are programmingprogressive
-
is programingprogressive
-
is programmingprogressive
-
have been programingperfect progressive
-
have been programmingperfect progressive
-
has been programingperfect progressive
-
has been programmingperfect progressive
Past
-
programedsimple
-
programmedsimple
-
had programedperfect
-
had programmedperfect
-
was programingprogressive
-
was programmingprogressive
-
were programingprogressive
-
were programmingprogressive
-
had been programingperfect progressive
-
had been programmingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of program
First recorded in 1625–35; from Late Latin programma, from Greek prógramma “public notice in writing”; see pro- 2, -gram 1
Explanation
A program is a sequence or plan. At your niece's dance recital you may be dismayed to discover that her piece is 19th on the program. Settle in! Program comes from the Greek for "public notice." When you go to the theater, you'll be handed a program with the names of the play and the performers. We call television or radio shows programs, especially if they’re on regularly. If you're trying to get in shape, you'll need an exercise program. To program is to plan or organize something, or to write the code and execute the commands that make computers work.
Vocabulary lists containing program
Computer Science and Technology - Introductory
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Computer Science and Technology - Middle School
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
Computer Science and Technology - High School
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
Vaccination teams aim to inoculate about 5,000 little penguins closest to the visitor areas, the state official said, in a program that is likely to last weeks and months, not days.
From Barron's ● Aug. 20, 2026
The Associated Press reported that the agreement “does not include an admission of fault or liability but says the county has ended the program at issue and has no intention of reactivating it.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
Syria would have been the worst spot imaginable for an active nuclear-weapons program.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
The Treasury Department surprised markets on Wednesday by announcing plans next month to expand a U.S. government-debt buyback program started in 2024 by former Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, which provided some relief to the market.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 19, 2026
As part of what the press dubbed the “Bodies for Butter” program, East German dictator Walter Ulbricht accepted bribes of food from Western governments in exchange for the release of political prisoners.
From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin
Each of these programs went years past their original delivery deadlines and cost far more than originally budgeted.
From Salon ● Aug. 20, 2026
Tony Andersen, the board’s executive officer, said previously that the five-year adoption phase will give officials and local groups time to develop support programs.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
“A lot of fine dining restaurants are not investing in pastry programs right now, and for those that do, it’s a unique selling point,” Estrada-Londo said.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
Texas Instruments teamed up with math educators and textbook publishers to create an ecosystem for teacher training programs and instruction materials that would seamlessly standardize TI across American classrooms.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026
The “Collective” was going to erase all our En Cognito programs.
From "The Last Cuentista" by Donna Barba Higuera
“They do have to be ready to perform, for instance, if a train is not stopping when it’s programed to stop,” Mayer told commissioners.
From Washington Post ● Mar. 7, 2023
He explains how he would make dishes, and the robot would be programed to copy his movement.
From BBC ● Dec. 19, 2021
We’re talking about a system that has to be programed sequentially and that can only do one thing at a time.
From Slate ● Aug. 2, 2021
Leidecker used iPads programed to listen and acoustically act.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2018
I vaguely remember a TV story from the 50s that showed a room size computer at DuPont that was programed to generate millions of syllables for prefixes and syllables for suffixes.
From New York Times ● Jan. 15, 2015
But having Venus in Pisces is like if your heart came programmed with a directed-by-Sofia-Coppola-dead-wife-montage to glimpse into that possibility.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
In effect, it allows heat to be programmed in a way that resembles how data is stored and controlled inside a computer chip.
From Science Daily ● Jul. 7, 2026
Male and female U1s can speak through an artificial intelligence tool programmed by the company to offer soothing words if it detects fatigue or stress, and get to know its user over time.
From Barron's ● Jul. 1, 2026
The data only needs to be aggregated; red-flag algorithms need to be programmed in.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 23, 2026
But the robot wasn’t programmed to be violent.
From "The Wild Robot Escapes" by Peter Brown
More Spheres would be bullish for the company because of royalty and other income, as well as the ability to distribute original programing in multiple locations.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2025
In our “Digital Readiness” program, we’re collaborating in over 28 countries with more than 100 public-private partnerships to bring AI awareness programing around the world.
From Seattle Times ● May 13, 2024
Non-routine cognitive jobs include public relations and computer programing.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 17, 2024
Indeed, Kunst’s submission to the 2018 CRC points to this TV programing note in the Miami News for channel 10’s Florida Journal on Oct.
From Slate ● Jan. 18, 2024
The Satellite Home Viewer Improvement Act of 1999 amended section 111 by substituting "statutory" for "compulsory" and "programming" for "programing," wherever they appeared.
From Copyright Law of the United States of America and Related Laws Contained in Title 17 of the United States Code, Circular 92 by United States
On the surface, it is just a bit of summer programming: Kimmel is taking a vacation, so O’Donnell is filling in for him this week.
From Salon ● Aug. 20, 2026
The Versant-owned channel announced Wednesday that the service, called MS NOW Membership, will also provide an array of digital offerings in addition to a live stream of TV programming.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
Expanded student unions, more-comfortable residence halls, larger recreation centers, campus programming offices and improved dining choices became the norm.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
Computer programming, advertising and the pharmaceutical industry were areas of strength, the ONS said.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
The school didn’t have its students learn programming by the laborious computer-card system, like virtually everyone else was doing in the 1960s.
From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
