algorithm

noun

al·​go·​rithm ˈal-gə-ˌri-t͟həm 

: a procedure for solving a mathematical problem (as of finding the greatest common divisor) in a finite number of steps that frequently involves repetition of an operation

broadly : a step-by-step procedure for solving a problem or accomplishing some end

There are several search engines, with Google, Yahoo and Bing being the biggest players. Each search engine has its own proprietary computation (called an "algorithm") that ranks websites for each keyword or combination of keywords.

—Julie Brinton

… sometimes you solve a problem by coming up with an algorithm of some kind. But sometimes you solve a problem in a very ad hoc sort of way.

—William H. Huggins

algorithmic

ˌal-gə-ˈrit͟h-mik 

adjective

algorithmically

ˌal-gə-ˈrit͟h-mi-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

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What Does algorithm Mean?

The current term of choice for a problem-solving procedure, algorithm, is commonly used nowadays for the set of rules a machine (and especially a computer) follows to achieve a particular goal. It does not always apply to computer-mediated activity, however. The term may as accurately be used of the steps followed in making a pizza or solving a Rubik’s Cube as for computer-powered data analysis.

Algorithm is often paired with words specifying the activity for which a set of rules have been designed. A search algorithm, for example, is a procedure that determines what kind of information is retrieved from a large mass of data. An encryption algorithm is a set of rules by which information or messages are encoded so that unauthorized persons cannot read them.

Though first attested in the early 20th century (and, until recently, used strictly as a term of mathematics and computing), algorithm has a surprisingly deep history. It was formed from algorism “the system of Arabic numerals,” a word that goes back to Middle English and ultimately stems from the name of a 9th-century Persian mathematician, abu-Jaʽfar Mohammed ibn-Mūsa al-Khuwārizmi, who did important work in the fields of algebra and numeric systems.

Examples of algorithm in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Most importantly, the highly sophisticated algorithms employed by social media companies already have the ability to determine the age of their users. —Nancy Magee, Orange County Register, 20 Apr. 2024

The bill prohibits ByteDance from controlling the algorithm. —Jessica Guynn, USA TODAY, 19 Apr. 2024

The proliferation of online profiles, self-summaries where all the haze and contradictions of a person are left out, hastened this process; hashtags turned personal branding into a sport, and the algorithms took things from there. —Hillary Kelly, The Atlantic, 19 Apr. 2024

Even the less extreme looks feel like they’re plucked from the algorithm. —Alana Hope Levinson, Vogue, 18 Apr. 2024

Ruiz has long maintained that the company’s algorithms and data analysis are what sets LifeWallet apart. —Ben Wieder, Miami Herald, 18 Apr. 2024

The year before, tickets to see rocker Bruce Springsteen reached as high as $5,000 on the platform, thanks to its pricing algorithm. —Sunny Nagpaul, Fortune, 16 Apr. 2024

For instance, his work with randomness and algorithms helped advance zero-knowledge protocols, a crucial method within computer security that allows for the transfer and confirmation of sensitive information between parties. —Christian Thorsberg, Smithsonian Magazine, 12 Apr. 2024

Zhang says his technology was inspired from earlier tools developed by University of Chicago researchers that place hidden changes in images so that artificial intelligence algorithms that try to train themselves on the images cannot mimic them. —Huo Jingnan, NPR, 10 Apr. 2024

Word History

Etymology

alteration of Middle English algorisme, from Old French & Medieval Latin; Old French, from Medieval Latin algorismus, from Arabic al-khuwārizmi, from al-Khwārizmī flourished a.d. 825 Islamic mathematician

First Known Use

1926, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing algorithm

• Euclidean algorithm

Kids Definition

algorithm

noun

al·​go·​rithm ˈal-gə-ˌrit͟h-əm 

: a step-by-step method for solving a problem (as finding the greatest common divisor) or accomplishing a goal