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

So Jobs sold off his Volkswagen bus while fellow cofounder Steve Wozniak got money for his programmable calculator, raising $1,300 to pay for the prototype’s parts. —Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 19 Dec. 2025

Along the way, Chiou and Howlett take you on a journey involving graphs that resemble butterfly wings, a calculator named Rumpelstilzchen, and Douglas Hofstadter’s delightful book Gödel, Escher, Bach. —Jordana Cepelewicz, Quanta Magazine, 18 Dec. 2025

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has an online calculator that can help. —Scott Brame, The Conversation, 16 Dec. 2025

Standing at about 6-foot-3 and weighing 305 pounds, Humphreys would be clinically obese, according to the CDC’s body mass index calculator. —Landon Mion, FOXNews.com, 13 Dec. 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