compute
Americanverb (used with object)
verb (used without object)
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to reckon; calculate.
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to use a computer or calculator.
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Informal. to make sense; add up.
His reasons for doing that just don't compute.
noun
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Outer space is vast beyond compute.
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the processing, memory, and storage resources required for a computer, network, or program to function.
To meet today's business demands, you need a solid foundation of compute.
adjective
verb
noun
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
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computabilitynoun
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computistnoun
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uncomputablenessnoun
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miscomputeverb
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precomputeverb
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recomputeverb (used with object)
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computableadjective
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uncomputableadjective
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uncomputedadjective
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computablyadverb
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uncomputablyadverb
Inflected Forms
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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computesimple
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computessimple
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have computedperfect
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has computedperfect
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am computingprogressive
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are computingprogressive
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is computingprogressive
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have been computingperfect progressive
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has been computingperfect progressive
Past
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computedsimple
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had computedperfect
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was computingprogressive
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were computingprogressive
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had been computingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of compute
First recorded in 1375–1425, for an earlier sense; 1580–90 compute for def. 6; (for the verb) from Latin computāre, from com- com- + putāre “to think”; (for the noun) late Middle English from Middle French from Late Latin computus “calculation, number,” noun derivative of computāre; cf. count 1, putative
Explanation
When you solve a mathematical problem, you compute the answer. To compute is to calculate, either literally or figuratively. Computers do the math for you, faster than humans ever can. You'll often hear someone say that something "does not compute." This means it doesn't add up, it doesn't make sense. You might compute how long it will take you to get to school or the likelihood that your mother will let you stay out late.
Vocabulary lists containing compute
Academic Vocabulary: Core Tier 2 Words, List 4
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The Number System
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Number and Operations: Fractions
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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:
Meta is also reportedly planning to sell compute capacity to third parties, meaning that the company could monetize its data centers beyond its internal workloads.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 28, 2026
High thread density and single-thread performance measure two different aspects of compute.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 23, 2026
The company is in the process of choosing a partner that will build and operate the Georgia site, Katti, the vice president of compute strategy, said in an interview.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
Microsoft on Tuesday sought to reassure European users with a "multi-billion-dollar" deal to rent AI infrastructure from Mistral, hoisting the French developer into the lucrative business of renting compute capacity.
From Barron's ● Jul. 21, 2026
He blinks at me, as if this doesn’t compute.
From "Love, Hate & Other Filters" by Samira Ahmed
If you use a simple savings-distribution calculator, which computes spending withdrawals at the same time as balance growth, you could comfortably spend about $250,000 a year for the next 10 years and still have excess.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 8, 2026
Meanwhile, the combined 609 lb-ft of torque computes to 4,400 pounds’ towing capacity.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 27, 2026
With quantum computers, it will be possible to run massive computes to see how different molecules react with each other to find out what works and with what side-effects.
From BBC ● Apr. 13, 2026
I tell her what I want to say, and she just computes it in her brain and she translates it in a way that has taught me.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2025
And during that week after his birthday, Mama Nee is working third shift, so that computes to just about every night.
From "Odd One Out" by Nic Stone
Stephanie Smith, manager of the Field Museum's X-ray computed tomography laboratory, helped create highly detailed micro CT scans of the octopus.
From Science Daily ● May 25, 2026
Software also will be needed to present what AI has computed in a way that people can understand, he said.
From MarketWatch ● Feb. 26, 2026
“I computed the statistics,” he says, “and decided it was fifty-fifty.”
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 23, 2026
There are some factors that can’t be computed by tech and A.I.
From Slate ● Nov. 9, 2024
Her glowing eyes darted around as she computed a plan.
From "The Wild Robot" by Peter Brown
Among the priority areas Kratsios promotes for this new funding model are AI, quantum computing and robotics.
From Salon ● Jul. 28, 2026
Find insight on oil futures, computing demand, Expand Energy and more in the latest Market Talks covering Energy and Utilities.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
Project would be one of the largest AI computing hubs and involve power controlled by the U.S. government.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026
The San Francisco-based startup, a chief rival to OpenAI, said the model tops industry benchmarks for coding and knowledge work while consuming fewer computing resources than earlier versions.
From Barron's ● Jul. 24, 2026
Langley’s first female computing pool, started in 1935, had caused an uproar among the men of the laboratory.
From "Hidden Figures" by Margot Lee Shetterly
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.
