programming

or pro·gram·ing

[ proh-gram-ing, -gruh-ming ]

/ ˈproʊ græm ɪŋ, -grə mɪŋ /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR programming ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

the act or process of planning or writing a program.

Radio and Television.

the selection and scheduling of programs for transmission, as for a television station or network, or an Internet-based digital distributor.
the programs scheduled.

Nearby words

programmed camera, programmed cell death, programmed instruction, programmed learning, programmer, programming, programming language, progravid, progreso, progress, progress bar

Origin of programming

First recorded in 1885–90; program + -ing¹

Definition for programming (2 of 2)

program

[ proh-gram, -gruh m ]

/ ˈproʊ græm, -grəm /

noun

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.

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.

Also called computer program. Digital Technology. a precise sequence of instructions enabling a computer to perform a task; a piece of software.

verb (used with object), pro·grammed or pro·gramed, pro·gram·ming or pro·gram·ing.

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), pro·grammed or pro·gramed, pro·gram·ming or pro·gram·ing.

to plan or write a program.

Digital Technology. to write computer code.

Also especially British, pro·gramme.

Origin of program

1625–35; < Late Latin programma < Greek prógramma “public notice in writing.” See pro-², -gram¹

Related formsre·pro·gram, verb (used with object), re·pro·grammed or re·pro·gramed, re·pro·gram·ming or re·pro·gram·ing.un·pro·grammed, adjective

Can be confusedpogrom program

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for programming

He looks like a man of the woods, but works at The Nerdery, programming for a healthy salary and benefits.
How Straight World Stole ‘Gay’: The Last Gasp of the ‘Lumbersexual’|Tim Teeman|November 12, 2014|DAILY BEAST
So I enrolled right away for programming classes, and found them boringly abstracted.
Vikram Chandra Is A Novelist Who's Obsessed With Writing Computer Code|Jane Ciabattari|August 29, 2014|DAILY BEAST
One is Margari Aziza Hill, an African-American Muslim who serves as programming director of the Muslim Anti-Racism Collaborative.
Michael Brown, Gaza, and Muslim Americans|Dean Obeidallah|August 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The goal of the present research is to help create the programming for a robot that is “a sociable partner.”
Japan's Robots Are Reading Your Emotions|Angela Erika Kubo, Jake Adelstein|August 6, 2014|DAILY BEAST

That kind of programming has worked on TV in shows like ‘Touched By An Angel.’
Bible Flicks Move Beyond the B-List|Lewis Beale|August 3, 2014|DAILY BEAST
The sappy one set the leg and withdrew, programming a call for the next day.
The Sunset Trail|Alfred Henry Lewis
Then they found big ones, rank on rank of cabinets, long consoles studded with lights and buttons, programming machines.
The Cosmic Computer|Henry Beam Piper
Programming was to be made so complete that almost any situation could be handled by the warship or the missile itself—instantly.
Masters of Space|Edward Elmer Smith
The added cost of buying a 16-or 18-bit computer would have been almost completely offset by savings in the cost of programming.
On-Line Data-Acquisition Systems in Nuclear Physics, 1969|H. W. Fulbright et al.
Operations for floating point numbers are handled by programming.
Preliminary Specifications: Programmed Data Processor Model Three (PDP-3)|Digital Equipment Corporation

British Dictionary definitions for programming

program

sometimes programme

/ (ˈprəʊɡræm) /

noun

a sequence of coded instructions fed into a computer, enabling it to perform specified logical and arithmetical operations on data

verb -grams, -gramming, -grammed, -grammes, -gramming or -grammed

(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

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

Word Origin and History for programming (1 of 2)

program

1630s, "public notice," from Late Latin programma "proclamation, edict," from Greek programma "a written public notice," from stem of prographein "to write publicly," from pro- "forth" (see pro-) + graphein "to write" (see -graphy).

General sense of "a definite plan or scheme" is recorded from 1837. Meaning "list of pieces at a concert, playbill" first recorded 1805 and retains the original sense. That of "objects or events suggested by music" is from 1854. Sense of "broadcasting presentation" is from 1923. Computer sense (noun and verb) is from 1945. Spelling programme, established in Britain, is from French in modern use and began to be used early 19c., originally especially in the "playbill" sense. Program music attested from 1877.

Word Origin and History for programming (1 of 2)

program

1889, "write program notes;" 1896, "arrange according to program," from program (n.). Of computers from 1945. From 1963 in the figurative sense of "to train to behave in a predetermined way." Related: Programmed; programming.

Science definitions for programming

program

[ prō′grăm′ ]

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.

Culture definitions for programming

program

A series of instructions given to a computer to direct it to carry out certain operations. The term code is often used to denote large-scale operations.

programming

or pro·gram·ing

noun

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RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of programming

Definition for programming (2 of 2)

program

noun

verb (used with object), pro·grammed or pro·gramed, pro·gram·ming or pro·gram·ing.

verb (used without object), pro·grammed or pro·gramed, pro·gram·ming or pro·gram·ing.

Origin of program

Examples from the Web for programming

British Dictionary definitions for programming

program

sometimes programme

noun

verb -grams, -gramming, -grammed, -grammes, -gramming or -grammed

Word Origin and History for programming (1 of 2)

program

Word Origin and History for programming (1 of 2)

program

Science definitions for programming

program

Culture definitions for programming

program