central processing unit

noun

plural central processing units
: the component of a computer system that performs the system's basic operations (such as processing data), that exchanges data with the system's memory or peripherals, and that manages the system's other components : cpu

Examples of central processing unit in a Sentence

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Arya added that within both the personal computers and server central processing unit spaces, Advanced Micro Devices continues to maintain a strong competitive position against Intel. Lisa Kailai Han, CNBC, 17 Oct. 2025 Multiverse’s core business is compressing open-source LLMs with such extreme shrinkage that most of its versions can run on CPUs, or central processing units, of the kind used in smartphones and regular computers, rather than GPUs, or graphics processing units. Vivienne Walt, Fortune, 9 Oct. 2025 The iPhone 17 features Apple’s A19, a six-core central processing unit that the company said is more than twice as fast as the A15 Bionic chip. Todd Spangler, Variety, 9 Sep. 2025 For example, classical central processing units (CPUs) are more efficient for data entry and accessing memory than quantum computers. Chris Young, Interesting Engineering, 22 Aug. 2025 See All Example Sentences for central processing unit

Word History

First Known Use

1956, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of central processing unit was in 1956

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Cite this Entry

“Central processing unit.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/central%20processing%20unit. Accessed 23 Oct. 2025.

Kids Definition

central processing unit

noun
: CPU

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