algorithm

noun

al·​go·​rithm ˈal-gə-ˌri-t͟həm 

plural algorithms

1

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

There is the notion that the "perfect algorithm for success" is out there, somewhere …

—Dave Winterlich

: such as

a

: 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

b

: a set of step-by-step instructions used by a computer system to achieve a particular result

The boy had written an algorithm for predicting the stock market in a programming language called Python …

—Keeley Sheehan

Coding … involves analysis, developing understanding, generating algorithms and implementation of those algorithms. Source code is written in one or more programming languages …

—Erin Kidd

Each search engine has its own proprietary computation (called an "algorithm") that ranks websites for each keyword or combination of keywords.

—Julie Brinton

The more data there is—and the more diverse it is—the more accurate your algorithms used to train AI for specific business needs will be.

—Hillery Hunter

2

a(1)

: a computerized process that evaluates data to perform actions (such as selecting or ranking items) without case-by-case human oversight

Algorithms end up rejecting many qualified applicants who may be missing just a couple of skills from the list.

—Hilke Schellmann

especially : a hidden system used by an online platform (such as a social media, streaming, or retail site) to curate content for each user based on the user's behavior, profile, etc.

Instagram decides what you see, not you. Its algorithm prioritizes posts that keep you glued to the app, not the ones you actually care about.

—Andrew Ekuwem

—often used in personified references to such systems

"Trending for You" recommends outfits that Stitch Fix's algorithm thinks a shopper will like …

—Madeline Stone

—often used with the

On YouTube, creators do anything and everything to grab the algorithm's attention. [=to get the curation system to show their content to many users]

—Amelia Tait

In the social media era, the star on the make must do much more. Magazine covers and talk-show appearances are fine, but he or she must also feed the algorithm. [=supply content that curation systems will show to many users]

—Jacqueline Maley

… the long-standing practice of adding dozens of generic tags in an attempt to game the algorithm. [=use tricks to get curation systems to show their content to more users]

—Business Today Online

(2)

the algorithm : popularity on social media achieved through promotion by curation systems

Fame is often described as lightning in a bottle. But what happens after the flash? What happens once the tour wraps, the season ends, the algorithm cools or the headlines wane?

—Sandra Richards

Seeing creative people chasing the algorithm, craving to go viral, and completely forgetting their purpose: it's tiresome.

—Kingsley Hall, quoted in The Guardian (London)

b

: the curated content that is served to a particular user by an online curation system : feed

… clips from the spa resort just outside Belfast have been creeping into my algorithm …

—Denise O'Donoghue

c

: the part of an online curation system that is tuned to a particular user

Embarrassingly, my algorithm knows that I like to browse real estate listings online.

—Gabi Lardies

algorithmic

ˌal-gə-ˈrit͟h-mik 

adjective

algorithmically

ˌal-gə-ˈrit͟h-mi-k(ə-)lē 

adverb

Did you know?

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

To determine if and how these features are relevant for the actual results in a World Cup, a machine learning algorithm was used. —Achim Zeileis, Fortune, 12 June 2026

Cryptography logged it as an algorithm lifecycle risk. —Maman Ibrahim, Forbes.com, 12 June 2026

Debug says its team is using sensors, algorithms, automation and monitoring tools to raise, sort, release and track mosquitoes at scale. —Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 12 June 2026

Spielberg, who inducted the singer-songwriter into the Hall of Fame, praised the power of authentic storytelling in an age increasingly blurred by algorithms and artificial intelligence. —Bryan West, USA Today, 12 June 2026

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

1811, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing algorithm

• Euclidean algorithm

Rhymes for algorithm

• logarithm
• rhythm

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