throughput

American  

[throo-poot] / ˈθruˌpʊt /

Or thruput

noun

1. the quantity or amount of raw material processed within a given time, especially the work done by an electronic computer in a given period of time.

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throughput British  

/ ˈθruːˌpʊt /

noun

1. the quantity of raw material or information processed or communicated in a given period, esp by a computer

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Etymology

Origin of throughput

1920–25; from phrase put through, modeled on output

Explanation

Use the noun throughput to talk about how fast communication can travel over a channel, from input to output. For a computer system, the input is the information you enter, and the output is the information that is produced by the program. Throughput refers to how much output is being produced relative to the input. A system could send information at 50 bits per second of throughput, or 500 bits per minute. Throughput is a measure of how fast and efficient the program is, and maximum throughput is often called "bandwidth."

Example Sentences

Saudi Arabia said a recent attack on a pumping station on its East-West pipeline led to a loss of 700,000 barrels per day in throughput.

From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026

Conversely, a sustained decline in prices would require visible signs of de-escalation, including rising tanker throughput and fewer attacks on energy assets.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 17, 2026

After organizing the samples by species and caste, the specimens were transported to KIT for high throughput micro CT imaging.

From Science Daily • Mar. 10, 2026

The St. Louis Fed said that one Memphis-area manufacturer is shifting its budget toward automation, because “persistent hiring frictions make robotics and industrial AI the most reliable way to preserve throughput and quality.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 4, 2026

"I want to check the throughput reactance first."

From "Things Not Seen" by Andrew Clements