noun
Other Word Forms
- computational adjective
- computative adjective
- computatively adverb
- miscomputation noun
- noncomputation noun
- recomputation noun
Etymology
Origin of computation
First recorded in 1375–1425; late Middle English, from Latin computātiōn-, stem of computātiō, from computāt(us) “reckoned” (past participle of computāre “to reckon, sum up”; see compute) + -iō -ion
Explanation
Computation is what you do when you calculate something, like a simple math problem or something involving quantum mechanics or — worse — even your taxes. People have invented all kinds of machines to help with computation, from the abacus to the computer, and, in fact, when computers were first invented (and when one computer could easily fill a large room), using a computer was called computation. Much of what made computers so revolutionary was that in a relatively short time they could do a complex mathematical computation that would take a human many lifetimes to do.
Vocabulary lists containing computation
"A Modest Proposal" by Jonathan Swift
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Expressions and Equations
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Henry David Thoreau "Civil Disobedience" (1849)
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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.
Still others argue the underlying assumption here may be mistaken—that consciousness may not be reducible to computation at all.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026
If computers can replicate many aspects of reasoning, language and decision-making without exhibiting clear signs of awareness, that fact alone may reveal that consciousness is something more than computation.
From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 25, 2026
It could have a significant impact on the cost of computation.
From Barron's • Jan. 9, 2026
"Here, chemical design meets computation, not as an analogy, but as a working principle."
From Science Daily • Jan. 3, 2026
The noble and This 1501 print shows two kinds of computation.
From "Sugar Changed the World: A Story of Magic, Spice, Slavery, Freedom, and Science" by Marc Aronson
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.
