input

1 of 2

noun

in·​put ˈin-ˌpu̇t 

1

: something that is put in: such as

a

: advice, opinion, comment

b

: information fed into a data processing system or computer

c

: power or energy put into a machine or system for storage, conversion in kind, or conversion of characteristics usually with the intent of sizable recovery in the form of output

d

: an amount put in

increased input of fertilizer increases crop yield

e

: a stimulus that acts on and is integrated into a bodily system

sensory input

f

: a component of production (such as land, labor, or raw materials)

2

: the means by which or the point at which an input (as of energy, material, or data) is made

3

: the act or process of putting in

input

2 of 2

verb

inputted or input; inputting

transitive verb

: to enter (data) into a computer or data processing system

Synonyms of input

Noun

• intake

Examples of input in a Sentence

Noun

I need your input on what to have for dinner.

She provided some valuable input at the start of the project.

The computer gets its input from a keyboard or mouse.

This VCR has several audio inputs.

The job will require a considerable input of money.

The data is ready for input into a computer.

Verb

She inputted the sales figures into the spreadsheet.

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Restrictions on energy, electricity or critical minerals, something Ford also floated, could instead raise costs for American companies and consumers by making key inputs more expensive or harder to obtain. — Elisabeth Buchwald, CNN Money, 25 Aug. 2026

By Anthropic’s own admission, its Claude Opus 5 comes close to Fable 5 at half the cost—$5 per million input tokens and $25 per million output tokens. — Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 25 Aug. 2026

Verb

Choose your hotel and input your flight information during the booking process to receive the discount. — Jessica Puckett, Condé Nast Traveler, 25 Aug. 2026

After a user inputs the plate number, the lookup tool will inform them whether it has been searched. — Mary Cunningham, CBS News, 17 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1653, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Verb

1946, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for input

• afoot
• barefoot
• bigfoot
• blackfoot
• caput
• clubfoot
• cocksfoot
• crowfoot
• forefoot
• output
• rajput
• throughput

Kids Definition

input

1 of 2 noun

in·​put ˈin-ˌpu̇t 

1

: power, energy, a signal, or information put into a machine or system

2

: advice, comment

3

: a point at which an input is put in

4

: the act or process of putting in

input

2 of 2 verb

inputted or input; inputting

: to enter (as data) into a computer