algorithm
Americannoun
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Mathematics. a set of rules for solving a problem in a finite number of steps, such as the Euclidean algorithm for finding the greatest common divisor.
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Computers. an ordered set of instructions recursively applied to transform data input into processed data output, such as a mathematical solution, search engine result, descriptive statistics, or predictive text suggestions.
noun
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a logical arithmetical or computational procedure that if correctly applied ensures the solution of a problem Compare heuristic
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logic maths a recursive procedure whereby an infinite sequence of terms can be generated
Usage
What is an algorithm? An algorithm is a set of instructions or rules that can be followed to solve a problem.Algorithms are most commonly used in mathematics and computing, and they can often be very complex or have many steps or sets of instructions.For example, your teacher asks you to add 537 and 162. You might solve the problem by lining up 162 under 537 and adding the columns of numbers together. You add the 7 and 2 in the ones column to get 9, Next, you add the numbers in the tens column (3 and 6) to get 9. Finally, you add 5 and 1 in the hundreds column and get 6. Your answer, then, is 699. You have followed an addition algorithm to find the solution.In computing, a computer coder will create a set of instructions (the algorithm) that a computer or artificial intelligence will use to solve a problem or will consult in order to achieve a goal. Let’s say you spend the day watching Star Wars videos on YouTube. With each video you watch, the website will recommend other videos it thinks you will like. How does it know what you like? It runs an algorithm that finds videos that are similar to the ones you’ve already watched. If Darth Vader shows up in a video of a car commercial, YouTube will likely recommend it to you to watch because Vader was in a lot of the Star Wars videos you’ve already watched.
Other Word Forms
- algorithmic adjective
- algorithmically adverb
Etymology
Origin of algorithm
First recorded in 1690–1700; variant of algorism ( def. ), by association with Greek arithmós “number”; arithmetic ( def. )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
They relied on a computer algorithm to detect tiny, repeated dips in starlight that occur when a planet passes in front of its star.
From Science Daily • Apr. 4, 2026
The compression algorithm reduced “key value memory size” in artificial-intelligence models by at least six times and lifted speeds up to eightfold, without compromising model accuracy, Google researchers said.
From Barron's • Apr. 2, 2026
As Barron’s previously reported, machines of the future may be able to execute something called Shor’s algorithm: a quantum algorithm that can factor large numbers into their prime components.
From Barron's • Apr. 1, 2026
Musk’s five-step algorithm gets Tesla and SpaceX employees to achieve stretch goals and innovate, and it’s sure to come in handy in his push to build the world’s largest AI chip factory.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 29, 2026
What Goldman’s algorithm indicates, though, is that the role of those other factors is so small in determining what is happening to the man right now that an accurate diagnosis can be made without them.
From "Blink" by Malcolm Gladwell
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
