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Meaning & use

computer

noun·Everyday

Last updated

UK/kəmˈpjuː.tər/
US/kəmˈpjuː.t̬ɚ/

Meanings

  1. nouncountable

    An electronic machine that stores and works with information according to instructions, used for work, study, and entertainment.

    Grammar: Countable: you can say a computer, two computers, the computer.

    Patterns

    • use a computer
    • on a computer
    • computer screen

    She uses a computer to design posters for her small business.

    My computer crashed while I was writing my essay, so I lost an hour of work.

    The school bought twenty new computers for the science lab.

  2. nouncountableold-fashioned

    A person who does mathematical calculations, especially in the past when this was done by hand.

    Grammar: Countable but now rare; in historical texts it refers to a job, not a machine.

    Patterns

    • work as a computer
    • a team of computers

    Before electronic machines, a computer was a person paid to perform long calculations.

    The history book describes the women who worked as computers during the war.

Word forms

pluralcomputers

Common combinations

personal computer
He bought a personal computer for his home office.
computer program
The computer program sorts the photos by date.
computer science
She is studying computer science at university.
computer screen
Don't sit too close to the computer screen.
computer virus
A computer virus deleted all his files.
on the computer
I do most of my shopping on the computer.

Synonyms and how they differ

PC
Short for personal computer; usually means a machine running Windows, not a Mac.
machine
A general word for any device with moving or electronic parts; less precise than computer.
device
A very general word for a piece of equipment; often used for phones and tablets as well.

Word family

compute verb
To calculate an amount using mathematics.
computation noun
The process or result of calculating something.
computational adjective
Relating to calculation, especially by computers.
computerize verb
To change a system so that computers do the work.
computerization noun
The act of putting a system under computer control.

Commonly confused: computer or calculator? computer or counter?

computer vs calculator

A calculator only does arithmetic; a computer can run programs, store files, and connect to the internet.

computer vs counter

A counter is a surface in a shop or a person who counts things; it sounds a little like computer but means something different.

Practice

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