calculator

noun

cal·​cu·​la·​tor ˈkal-kyə-ˌlā-tər 

: one that calculates: such as

a

: a usually electronic device for performing mathematical calculations

b

: a person who operates a calculator

Examples of calculator in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Online inflation calculators price that at somewhere between $90 and $105 today. —Jordan Hoffman, EW.com, 1 Sep. 2025

An obstetric calculator factored in race and ethnicity in ways that increased unnecessary Cesarean sections among Black and Hispanic women. —Craig Spencer, The Atlantic, 29 Aug. 2025

To see if a house is within your budget, plug the list price into our mortgage calculator below. —Kelsey Neubauer, CNBC, 27 Aug. 2025

On Walmart’s website, the price of a scientific calculator jumped 58% since NBC News started following the price in June. —Emily Lorsch, NBC news, 27 Aug. 2025

Word History

Etymology

Middle English calkelatour "one who counts or computes, mathematician," borrowed from Latin calculātōr-, calculātor "teacher of arithmetic," from calculā- (attested in Late Latin as the stem of calculāre "to count, calculate") + -tōr-, -tor, agent suffix

First Known Use

14th century, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing calculator

• pocket calculator

Rhymes for calculator

• activator
• actuator
• agitator
• alligator
• allocator
• alternator
• animator
• annotator
• applicator
• arbitrator
• aspirator
• aviator

Kids Definition

calculator

noun

cal·​cu·​la·​tor ˈkal-kyə-ˌlāt-ər 

1

: one that calculates

2

: a usually small electronic device for making mathematical calculations