Meaning & use
program
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Meanings
nouncountable
A planned set of activities, lessons or services aimed at a goal.
Grammar: Countable: an exercise program.
Patterns
- a program for someone
- a program to do something
The school started a reading program.
She joined a training program.
The city funds a recycling program.
nouncountablecomputing
A set of coded instructions that makes a computer perform tasks.
Grammar: Countable.
Patterns
- run a program
He wrote a program to sort the data.
The program crashed.
Install the program first.
nouncountableAmerican
A show on television or radio.
Grammar: British English: programme.
Patterns
- a TV program
We watched a cooking program.
The radio program starts at noon.
nouncountable
A printed list of events or performers.
Grammar: Countable.
Check the program for the start time.
verbtransitive or intransitivecomputing
To write instructions for a computer or machine.
Grammar: Transitive: program a robot; alone: she programs.
Patterns
- program something to do something
She programs in Python.
He programmed the oven to start at six.
Word forms
| plural | programs |
|---|---|
| third person singular | programs |
| past tense | programmed |
| past participle | programmed |
| -ing form | programming |
Common combinations
- run a program
- Run the program.
- training program
- A training program.
- TV program
- A TV program.
- program a computer
- Program a computer.
- degree program
- A degree program.
Synonyms and how they differ
Word family
- programmer noun
- person who writes programs
- programming noun
- writing code
- programmable adjective
- able to be programmed
Commonly confused: program or programme?
program vs programme
Programme is the British spelling for non-computer senses.
Practice
Which sentence uses program as a verb?
Choose one answer.
Only the first uses program as a verb.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “program”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.