Compute Meaning
/kəmˈpjuːt/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
verbTo reckon, calculate.
verbTo make sense. (commonly used in mimicry of a science fictional robot and spoken in a robotic voice; most frequently in negative constructs)
Sentence Examples
Scientists can easily compute the distance between planets.
Can you compute the distance of the moon from the earth?
CEFR Practice Quiz
Can you quickly ____ the total cost including tax and fees?
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Please use the formula to correctly ____ the total surface area.
Word Origin & History
Etymology tree Latin computārelbor. French computerbor. English compute 17th century. Borrowed from French computer, from Latin computō (“calculate, compute”). Doublet of count.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"Effulgence of my Glorie, Son belov’d, / Son in whoſe face inviſible is beheld / Viſibly, what by Deitie I am, / And in whoſe hand what by Decree I doe, / Second Omnipotence, two dayes are paſt, / Two dayes, as we compute the dayes of Heav’n, / Since Michael and his Powers went forth to tame / Theſe diſobedient[…]"
— 1667, John Milton, “Book VI”, in Paradise Lost. […], London: […] [Samuel Simmons], and are to be sold by Peter Parker […]; [a]nd by Robert Boulter […]; [a]nd Matthias Walker, […], →OCLC; republished as Paradise Lost in Ten Books: […], London: Basil Montagu Pickering […], 1873, →OCLC, lines 680–687:
""When we have ascertained exactly how little will serve we shall be able to compute how long we shall be able to exist.""
— 1913, Arthur Conan Doyle, “(please specify the page)”, in The Poison Belt […], London; New York, N.Y.: Hodder and Stoughton, →OCLC:
"Coxhead (2000) computed that the AWL covered approximately 10% of the academic corpus from which it was derived[.]"
— 2018, Clarence Green, James Lambert, “Advancing disciplinary literacy through English for academic purposes: Discipline-specific wordlists, collocations and word families for eight secondary subjects”, in Journal of English for Academic Purposes, volume 35, →DOI, page 112:
"Then at the last minute Harris was brought aboard as Dr. Zachary Smith, initially an authentic, lip-curling nogoodnik who, it was presently discovered, could be better used for laughs played off Mumy and a sober-sided robot (“You bubbleheaded booby,” sneers Harris. “That does not compute,” returns the robot dryly)."
— 1966 September 24, TV Guide, Radnor, Pa., page 25, column 1:
"And you'd feel an utter fool if, when you asked where the biscuit was, a message came out: "Biscuits do not compute. Your wife programmed your diet.""
— 1967 August 2, The Australian Women's Weekly, Sydney, page 46, column 2:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
Can you quickly ____ the total cost including tax and fees?
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
Please use the formula to correctly ____ the total surface area.