Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
dictionary thesaurus

COBOL

noun
CO·​BOL | \ ˈkō-ˌbȯl \
variants: or Cobol

Definition of COBOL

: a computer programming language designed for business applications

First Known Use of COBOL

1960, in the meaning defined above

History and Etymology for COBOL

common business oriented language

Keep scrolling for more

Learn More about COBOL

Dictionary Entries near COBOL

cob meal

cob-nosed

cobnut

COBOL

cobola

coboss

cob pipe

Statistics for COBOL

Look-up Popularity

Time Traveler for COBOL

The first known use of COBOL was in 1960

See more words from the same year

More from Merriam-Webster on COBOL

Rhyming Dictionary: Words that rhyme with COBOL

Comments on COBOL

What made you want to look up COBOL? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).

Show Comments  Hide Comments 

WORD OF THE DAY

teetotaler

someone who never drinks alcohol

Get Word of the Day daily email!

Test Your Vocabulary

Homophone Quiz

  • three-bears-two-of-them-look-like-theyre-whispering-to-a-third-bear-who-looks-chuffed-to-be-the-center-of-attention
  • In order to judge how people felt, the senator's office hired a firm to take a ______.
Name That Thing

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!

TAKE THE QUIZ
Citation

Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.

TAKE THE QUIZ

Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Words at Play

Ask the Editors

Word Games