programmer
Americannoun
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of programmer
Explanation
Someone who writes software or programs for computers is called a programmer. If you develop an application for mobile devices, you can also call yourself a programmer. Programmers use a variety of computer languages to write the code (or instructions) that helps computers do the things their users want them to do. There are programmers who specialize in specific languages which are useful in various industries — some are used by financial institutions and others by scientists, for example. Evidence of the dramatic way things change over time is clear from the shift in this word's meaning: in 1890, a programmer was an "event planner."
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:
“Then it became: What if we reached out to Mel and asked if he wanted to put his programmer hat on and take over our calendar and see what he would come up with?”
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
“That Roscoe’s Chicken and Waffle commercial is incredible,” says programmer Branscome.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 6, 2026
In 2012, a French programmer called Stéphane Gigandet launched a free, online and crowdsourced food product database called Open Food Facts during the Food Revolution Day organised by English chef Jamie Oliver.
From BBC ● Jul. 13, 2026
His father was a programmer and his mother worked in the technology industry, too.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 17, 2026
The longer or more complex the program, the more cards the programmer fed the computer.
From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly
Murdoch even owned the Dodgers for a stretch to corner the market on what was then a Wild West shoot-out among TV programmers to launch cable channels.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2026
Carville’s reputation for colorful turns of phrase, and his tendency to stomp on any calls for the party to move left, made him a favorite of cable news programmers looking to make entertaining television.
From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026
“National programmers today are free to reach 100% of their relevant markets by distributing their programming direct to consumers or through deals they cut with virtual cable companies,” Mr. Carr noted.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 9, 2026
Now, programmers, telecoms specialists and engineers are fully integrated into the army.
From Barron's ● Aug. 7, 2026
TRW desperately needed programmers familiar with the particular software the power station used.
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.
