noun
computer
kuhm-PYOO-tuh
noun
1
An electronic device that processes data, runs programs, and carries out calculations — from a desktop or laptop to the machine running behind a phone app.
"She bought a new computer for editing video."
"The company's servers are just very powerful computers running around the clock."
2
(dated) A person whose job was to carry out mathematical calculations by hand, before machines took over the role.
"Before electronic computers existed, teams of human computers calculated ballistic tables for the military."
How to Use Computer
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA machine that processes information and runs programs — though the word originally described a human calculator, not a device.
Memory tip
In modern English, "computer" almost always means the machine; the old sense (a person who calculates) is now historical.
Trace the full origin ↓
Common pairings
turn on the computer
computer program
laptop computer
computer science
Word Forms
computered past tense, computers plural, computers singular
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She bought a new _____ for editing video.
Etymology
From compute + -er. Originally, from the 1600s, it meant a person who computes — the machine sense only took over around the end of the 19th century.