computed; computing
: to determine especially by mathematical means
Compute the area of the triangle.
1
: to make calculation : reckon
They compute by weight in selling grain.
2
: to use a computer
3
informal
: to make sense
No matter how you do the math, it will not work … . It simply does not compute.—
Chuck Finder
Chuck Finder
Examples of compute in a Sentence
for the test we were required to compute the answers without using a calculator
Recent Examples on the Web
Last month, the president also announced a new $100 billion A.I. initiative between OpenAI, Oracle and SoftBank to create computing infrastructure in the United States to power artificial intelligence.
—Kate Conger, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2025
The cloud computing subsidiary of Alibaba Group also found its Qwen2.5-Max showed comparable performance to OpenAI’s GPT-4 and Anthropic’s Claude 3.5 Sonnet — both closed-source models.
—Britney Nguyen, Quartz, 29 Jan. 2025
The bottom line: If new engineering and computing tech can extend the life of these batteries even more, the market for energy storage and EVs could continue to grow and bring returns to the entrepreneurs and investors who've backed them.
—Katie Fehrenbacher, Axios, 23 Jan. 2025
Apple Vision Pro, the $3,499 intuitive mixed-reality spatial computing headsets for the ultimate techie with deep pockets are on display at a dedicated demo space inside the bright store.
—Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 23 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for compute 
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Kate Conger, New York Times, 4 Feb. 2025
The cloud computing subsidiary of Alibaba Group also found its Qwen2.5-Max showed comparable performance to OpenAI’s GPT-4 and Anthropic’s Claude 3.5 Sonnet — both closed-source models.
—Britney Nguyen, Quartz, 29 Jan. 2025
The bottom line: If new engineering and computing tech can extend the life of these batteries even more, the market for energy storage and EVs could continue to grow and bring returns to the entrepreneurs and investors who've backed them.
—Katie Fehrenbacher, Axios, 23 Jan. 2025
Apple Vision Pro, the $3,499 intuitive mixed-reality spatial computing headsets for the ultimate techie with deep pockets are on display at a dedicated demo space inside the bright store.
—Howard Cohen, Miami Herald, 23 Jan. 2025
See all Example Sentences for compute
Articles Related to compute
Dictionary Entries Near compute
Cite this Entry
“Compute.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/compute. Accessed 16 Feb. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
compute
verb
com·pute
kəm-ˈpyüt 
computed; computing
1
: to determine or calculate especially by mathematical means
also
: to determine or calculate by means of a computer
2
informal
: to make sense
computable
adjective
-ˈpyüt-ə-bəl
Etymology
from Latin computare "to count, compute" — related to account, count entry 1
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