computer

noun

com·​put·​er kəm-ˈpyü-tər How to pronounce computer (audio)
often attributive
: one that computes
specifically : a programmable usually electronic device that can store, retrieve, and process data
using a computer to design 3-D models
computerdom noun
computerless adjective
computerlike adjective

Examples of computer in a Sentence

He works all day on a computer.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Takagi and colleagues showed the cats two different images on the screen of a laptop computer. Avery Hurt, Discover Magazine, 11 Nov. 2024 The team then used several computer modeling techniques to evaluate the effects of the coyotes’ habitat type, competition with larger carnivores, hunting practices, and suburban expansion on coyote populations. Laura Baisas, Popular Science, 7 Nov. 2024 Last year, her team used a computer simulation of their supersolid to model what would happen if a similar material existed inside a spinning neutron star. Quanta Magazine, 6 Nov. 2024 With new capabilities being added to AI systems at a steady rate—in October, frontier AI lab Anthropic introduced the ability for its model to directly control a computer, still in beta—the complexity of governing this technology will only increase. Tharin Pillay, TIME, 5 Nov. 2024 See all Example Sentences for computer 

Word History

Etymology

see compute

First Known Use

1613, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of computer was in 1613

Dictionary Entries Near computer

Cite this Entry

“Computer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/computer. Accessed 21 Nov. 2024.

Kids Definition

computer

noun
com·​put·​er -ˈpyüt-ər How to pronounce computer (audio)
: one that computes
especially : a programmable usually electronic machine that can store, get back again, and work with data

More from Merriam-Webster on computer

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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