parser

noun

pars·​er ˈpär-sər How to pronounce parser (audio)
: one that parses
specifically : a computer program that breaks down text into recognized strings of characters for further analysis

Examples of parser in a Sentence

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.
The same year, Latitude’s AI Dungeon 2 — probably the most popular AI game yet created — presented an early OpenAI text model refined into the style of a classic text adventure parser, capable of drawing on its source material for a pastiche of nearly any genre and subject matter. Adi Robertson, The Verge, 13 Sep. 2024 These people had shared experiences writing and playing parser works in the '90s, but many of their efforts in the aughts reflected a shift across the gaming world to treat interactive fiction as more than the process of solving puzzles in a virtual space. Anna Washenko, Ars Technica, 20 June 2024 There’s no way to know; whoever is writing the parser has to make that decision. Scott Gilbertson, WIRED, 24 June 2024 After so many years with Inform and TADS as the de facto platforms for creating and reading parser games, the scene started experimenting with new tools and new approaches to storytelling. Anna Washenko, Ars Technica, 20 June 2024 Image parsers in UEFIs from all three major IBVs are riddled with roughly a dozen critical vulnerabilities that have gone unnoticed until now. Eric Bangeman, Ars Technica, 25 Dec. 2023 Their résumé parsers, their application tracking software, and their tools are also using AI. WIRED, 17 Oct. 2023 Some of his attacks required two specific XML parsers that are uniquely bad when used together, while others affect all uses of just one parser. Max Eddy, PCMAG, 11 Aug. 2022 And the text parsers in Sierra games weren’t particularly good, compared to Infocom games, which had a better vocabulary. Geek's Guide To The Galaxy, WIRED, 26 Mar. 2021

Word History

First Known Use

1826, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of parser was in 1826

Dictionary Entries Near parser

Cite this Entry

“Parser.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/parser. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!