Merriam-Webster Logo
SINCE 1828
Menu
×

An Encyclopædia Britannica Company

COBOL

noun CO·BOL \ˈkō-ˌbȯl\
variants: or

Cobol

play \ˈkō-ˌbȯl\

Definition of COBOL

  1. :  a computer programming language designed for business applications

See COBOL defined for kids

People Are Reading

emoji-the-quiz
The Emoji Quiz
alt-596f730ceb5ae
Words We're Watching: 'Scoby'
image386126722
Words That Come From the Dinner Table
alt-596f7d8840dd5
Trending: Trend Watch: 'Admiral's Mast' & A Mystery At Sea

Origin and Etymology of cobol

common business oriented language

Learn More about cobol

  1. See words that rhyme with COBOL Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about COBOL

Seen and Heard

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

show hide

Love words? Need even more definitions?

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

WORD OF THE DAY

crucible

play

a severe test

Get Word of the Day daily email!

TRENDING NOW

  1. admiral's mast A massive search ends with an 'admiral's mast'.

  2. calumny 'An untrue statement that is made to damage someone's reputation'

  3. kakistocracy Frustrated Twitter users have been searching for this word.

  4. bona fide Made in good faith

  5. surrogate mother From TMZ to the dictionary.

SEE ALL

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

image386126722
Words and Phrases That Come from the Dinner Table

Fill your plate with these surprising food words

alt-596f730ceb5ae
Words We're Watching: 'Scoby'

Kombucha lovers unite.

alt-596e1a928254c
Words We're Watching: 'Fidget Spinner'

Don't fight the fad

alt-5956722528373
A Nun's 'Habit' & A Mini-Skirt

They have more in common than you might think.

Ask the Editors

video-title-words-of-the-year-1066
Words of the Year: 1066

Or, Why Pig Meat is Called 'Pork' and Cow Meat is Called 'Beef'

payday
How Often Is 'Biweekly'?

Don't get us started on 'bimonthly'

video-irregardless-grammar-peeve-blend-of-the-synonyms-irrespective-and-regardless
Irregardless

It is in fact a real word (but that doesn't mean you should use it).

video-moose-goose-weird-plurals
Weird Plurals

One goose, two geese. One moose, two... moose. What's up with that?

Word Games

emoji-the-quiz
The Emoji Quiz

Think you’re an emoji 👓 expert? Let’s see 🤔

Take the quiz
image941935269
A Game of Thrones Word Quiz

In the Game of Thrones quiz, you learn some new vocabulary. (It’s quite safe, really. You will not die.)

Take the quiz
Name That Thing
Name That Thing

Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!

Take the quiz
Word Winder's CrossWinder
Word Winder's CrossWinder

A game of winding words.

Play the game