noun
algorithm
ALGUH-rihthm
noun
1
A precise, step-by-step set of instructions for solving a problem or completing a task, especially in computing.
"The app uses an algorithm to suggest videos based on what you watched before."
"Engineers tested several algorithms before finding the fastest way to sort the data."
2
(informal) The automated system on a social media or streaming platform that decides what content users see.
"She joked that the algorithm knew her better than her friends did."
How to Use Algorithm
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA set of rules a computer (or person) follows to solve a problem — in casual speech, often shorthand for the recommendation system behind an app.
Common pairings
run an algorithm
search algorithm
the algorithm recommends
Word Forms
algorithms plural
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The app uses an _____ to suggest videos based on what you watched before.
Etymology
From the name of the ninth-century Persian mathematician al-Khwarizmi, via Medieval Latin algorismus.