programming language

American  

[proh-gram-ing lang-gwij] / ˈproʊ græm ɪŋ ˌlæŋ gwɪdʒ /

noun

1. a high-level language used to write computer programs, as C++ or Python, or, sometimes, an assembly language.

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programming language British  

noun

1. a simple language system designed to facilitate the writing of computer programs See high-level language low-level language machine code

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programming language Scientific  

/ prō′grăm′ĭng /

1. An artificial language used to write instructions that can be translated into machine language and then executed by a computer. English and other natural languages are not used as programming languages because they cannot be easily translated into machine language.

2. ◆ A compiled language is a language in which the set of instructions (or code) written by the programmer is converted into machine language by special software called a compiler prior to being executed. C++ and SmallTalk are examples of compiled languages.

3. ◆ An interpreted language is a language in which the set of instructions (or code) written by the programmer is converted into machine language by special software called a compiler prior to being executed. Most scripting and macro languages are interpreted languages.

4. See also program

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programming language Cultural  

1. In computer technology, a set of conventions in which instructions for the machine are written. There are many languages that allow humans to communicate with computers; C++, BASIC, and Java are some common ones.

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Etymology

Origin of programming language

First recorded in 1955–60

Example Sentences

In February, IBM stock posted its worst decline in 25 years—tumbling sharply on news that Anthropic had released AI tools that could help with modernizing Cobol, a programming language mainly run on IBM mainframe computers.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 17, 2026

The programming language, which was first released in 1960, runs 95% of ATM transactions in the U.S., according to Anthropic’s blog post.

From MarketWatch • Feb. 23, 2026

Tech YouTuber Dave Eddy posted a video on Monday showing his followers how to use the Epstein files to download a reference manual for the programming language Bash.

From Slate • Feb. 3, 2026

Python, a programming language, may surprise some as an example to pick, since it has been around for more than three decades.

From BBC • Dec. 14, 2025

Said of a capability of a programming language or hardware equipment that is available by its design without needing cleverness to implement: "In APL, we get the matrix operations for free."

From The Jargon File, Version 2.9.10, 01 Jul 1992 by Raymond, Eric S.