tabulator

American  

[tab-yuh-ley-ter] / ˈtæb yəˌleɪ tər /

noun

1. a person or thing that tabulates.

2. tab.

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tabulator British  

/ ˈtæbjʊˌleɪtə /

noun

1. a device for setting the automatic stops that locate the column margins on a typewriter

2. computing a machine that reads data from one medium, such as punched cards, producing lists, tabulations, or totals, usually on a continuous sheet of paper

3. any machine that tabulates data

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Etymology

Origin of tabulator

First recorded in 1880–85; tabulate + -or ²

Example Sentences

The warrant served on the Fulton County election center sought ballots, tabulator tapes, digital data and voter rolls, which it alleged might constitute “evidence of the commission of a criminal offense.”

From Salon • Jan. 30, 2026

The simplest was to place them in a slot marked “3” in the locked box beneath the tabulator, for collection and counting later at the county’s central elections facility in downtown Phoenix.

From New York Times • Nov. 19, 2022

A brief, tense exchange flared when Woodall-Vogg opened a panel on one tabulator, bumping the power cord and inadvertently unplugging it.

From Washington Post • Nov. 9, 2022

The Maricopa County Recorder’s Officer said technicians were called to fix the tabulator machines that weren’t working, Fox10’s TV station in Phoenix reported.

From Washington Times • Nov. 8, 2022

The Hollerith tabulator was the work of Herman Hollerith, who incorporated the Tabulating Machine Company at the end of the nineteenth century.

From "A Deadly Wandering: A Mystery, a Landmark Investigation, and the Astonishing Science of Attention in the Digital Age" by Matt Richtel