computation

noun

com·​pu·​ta·​tion ˌkäm-pyu̇-ˈtā-shən How to pronounce computation (audio)
-pyü-
1
a
: the act or action of computing : calculation
b
: the use or operation of a computer
2
: a system of reckoning
3
: an amount computed
computational
ˌkäm-pyu̇-ˈtā-shnəl How to pronounce computation (audio)
-shə-nᵊl
-pyü-
adjective
computationally adverb

Examples of computation in a Sentence

methods used for the computation of taxes The solution required a series of computations.
Recent Examples on the Web This photonic approach uses light instead of electricity to perform computations more quickly and with less power than an electronic counterpart. IEEE Spectrum, 4 Mar. 2024 To square this circle, the world is going to have to embrace multi-party computation, argues Silence Laboratories, which is today announcing the completion of a $4.1 million funding round. David Prosser, Forbes, 29 Feb. 2024 By harnessing more elaborate superpositions involving many qubits, quantum computers can perform certain computations much faster than any conventional machine. Ben Brubaker, Quanta Magazine, 23 Feb. 2024 Using rudimentary punch cards, Mr. Meyer dabbled in programming at Harvard’s computation center, which housed room-sized computers. Michael S. Rosenwald, Washington Post, 9 Nov. 2023 Their idea for an AI program that models the belief systems that drive human behavior first began when Lane moved to Northern Ireland a decade ago to study whether computation modeling and cognition could be used to understand issues around religious violence. WIRED, 2 Nov. 2023 Quantum computing has the potential to vastly speed up some of the computation used in AI algorithms, for example, quickly solving optimization problems that would take far longer using classical computers. Bernard Marr, Forbes, 19 Feb. 2024 And the critics say that word meanings by themselves don’t give enough information to draw firm conclusions, no matter how sophisticated the computation is. Kurt Kleiner, Discover Magazine, 16 Feb. 2024 That computation had leaned heavily on knowledge about the shape of clusters in the graph. Quanta Magazine, 7 Feb. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'computation.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Time Traveler
The first known use of computation was in the 15th century

Dictionary Entries Near computation

Cite this Entry

“Computation.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/computation. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

computation

noun
com·​pu·​ta·​tion ˌkäm-pyu̇-ˈtā-shən How to pronounce computation (audio)
1
: the act or action of computing : calculation
2
: a system of calculating especially by mathematical means
3
: an amount computed
computational
-shnəl How to pronounce computation (audio)
-shən-ᵊl
adjective

More from Merriam-Webster on computation

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