compute

verb com·pute \ kəm-ˈpyüt \

Updated on: 7 Dec 2017

Definition of compute

computed; computing

transitive verb

: to determine especially by mathematical means

Compute the area of the triangle.

; also : to determine or calculate by means of a computer

computing pi to over one billion places

intransitive verb

1 : to make calculation : reckon

They compute by weight in selling grain.

2 : to use a computer

See compute defined for English-language learners

See compute defined for kids

Examples of compute in a Sentence

for the test we were required to compute the answers without using a calculator

Recent Examples of compute from the Web

Earlier this month, political fact-checking site Politifact.com was found hosting Coinhive scripts in a way that exhausted 100 percent of visitors computing resources.

— dan goodin, Ars Technica, "A surge of sites and apps are exhausting your CPU to mine cryptocurrency," 30 Oct. 2017
Machine-learning algorithms, which can require large amounts of computing power, are often run on graphics processing units.

— giles turner, Bloomberg.com, "Sequoia Capital Is Said to Back U.K. Chip Startup Graphcore," 3 Nov. 2017
The unit, which rents computing power to a variety of startups, government agencies and other corporations, has become a major factor in Amazon’s recent streak of profitability.

— laura stevens, WSJ, "Amazon Revenue Rises 34%, Beating Estimates," 26 Oct. 2017
In addition, ongoing improvements in computing power should help scientists better understand the complex interplay of genes.

— alex salkever, Fortune, "When Baby Genes Are for Sale, the Rich Will Pay," 23 Oct. 2017
Its e-commerce side now makes money, but its most profitable arm is its cloud-computing business, which last year earned 74% of its operating income.

— The Economist, "Beyond shoppingThe mighty Amazon," 26 Oct. 2017
Revenue from Azure was up 90 percent, and compute usage more than doubled year on year.

— peter bright, Ars Technica, "Microsoft 1Q18: Office 365 is booming, Azure continues to climb," 26 Oct. 2017
Certainly the more that people can read, write, compute, think, and innovate, the better off society and liberal democracy would be.

— rachel m. cohen, The Atlantic, "Education Isn't the Key to a Good Income," 26 Sep. 2017
If smartphones are found to be fueling the increase in crashes, then the same advances in information technology and computing that enable a future with autonomous vehicles could be literally killing people on the roadways in the present.

— lee vinsel and constantine samaras, Smithsonian, "Some of the Best Parts of Autonomous Vehicles Are Already Here," 21 Sep. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'compute.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Origin and Etymology of compute

Latin computare — more at count

NEW! Time Traveler

First Known Use: 1579

See Words from the same year

compute Synonyms

Synonyms

cipher, calculate, figure, reckon, work out

Related Words

add up, average, sum, tally, total, totalize; add, divide, multiply, subtract; allow (for), deduct, factor (in or into or out), figure in; figure out, solve (for); count, itemize, number; calibrate, gauge (also gage), measure, scale; assess, appraise, estimate, evaluate, rate, value; recalculate, recompute, refigure

COMPUTE Defined for English Language Learners

compute

verb

Definition of compute for English Language Learners

: to find out (something) by using mathematical processes

COMPUTE Defined for Kids

compute

verb com·pute \ kəm-ˈpyüt \

Definition of compute for Students

computed; computing

: to find out by using mathematics

compute a total

Word Root of compute

The Latin word putāre, meaning “to think,” gives us the root put. Words from the Latin putāre have something to do with thinking. A reputation is what other people think about something or someone. To compute is to use math to think about a bunch of numbers together in order to answer a problem. To dispute is to argue because two or more people think different things.