computer

[ kuh m-pyoo-ter ]
/ kəmˈpyu tər /
SEE SYNONYMS FOR computer ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a programmable electronic device designed to accept data, perform prescribed mathematical and logical operations at high speed, and display the results of these operations. Mainframes, desktop and laptop computers, tablets, and smartphones are some of the different types of computers. Compare analog computer, digital computer.
a person who computes; computist.

Origin of computer

1640–50; compute + -er1; compare Middle French computeur

OTHER WORDS FROM computer

com·put·er·like, adjective non·com·put·er, adjective

Words nearby computer

computational complexity, computational fluid dynamics, computational linguistics, compute, computed tomography, computer, computer age, computer animation, computer architecture, computer conferencing, computer crime

Words related to computer

clone, brain, calculator, mini, laptop, minicomputer, CPU, PC, mac, mainframe, abacus, microcomputer, analog, digital, micro

Example sentences from the Web for computer

British Dictionary definitions for computer

computer
/ (kəmˈpjuːtə) /

noun

  1. a device, usually electronic, that processes data according to a set of instructions. The digital computer stores data in discrete units and performs arithmetical and logical operations at very high speed. The analog computer has no memory and is slower than the digital computer but has a continuous rather than a discrete input. The hybrid computer combines some of the advantages of digital and analog computersSee also digital computer, analog computer, hybrid computer
  2. (as modifier)computer technology Related prefix: cyber-
a person who computes or calculates

Scientific definitions for computer

computer
[ kəm-pyōō′tər ]

A programmable machine that performs high-speed processing of numbers, as well as of text, graphics, symbols, and sound. All computers contain a central processing unit that interprets and executes instructions; input devices, such as a keyboard and a mouse, through which data and commands enter the computer; memory that enables the computer to store programs and data; and output devices, such as printers and display screens, that show the results after the computer has processed data.

Cultural definitions for computer

computer

An electronic device that stores and manipulates information. Unlike a calculator, it is able to store a program and retrieve information from its memory. Most computers today are digital, which means they perform operations with quantities represented electronically as digits.