central processing unit

noun

|Updated on: 25 May 2018

Definition of central processing unit

: cpu

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Recent Examples of central processing unit from the Web

Traditionally, the brain in most PCs has been the CPU, or the central processing unit.

— brian fung, chicagotribune.com, "How video games helped give us the self-driving car," 5 July 2017
For enterprises, the virtual gold rush can put corporate networks at risk and inflate cloud central processing unit usage, adding cost.

— Bloomberg.com, "Sweden Is Becoming a Haven for Cryptojackers," 23 Mar. 2018
These new bugs are actually in the computer’s hardware — specifically, in the central processing unit.

— j. d. biersdorfer, New York Times, "Keeping Up With the Meltdown and Spectre Bugs," 15 Jan. 2018
The security flaws are located in each computer's brain, known as the central processing unit or CPU.

— alyssa newcomb, NBC News, "Meltdown, Spectre chip flaws raise questions about hardware security," 4 Jan. 2018
Security researchers also said users should be aware of signs that their computer is being used as a mining machine--the device’s fans may start making noise, for example, or there could be a spike in central processing unit usage.

— adam janofsky, WSJ, "How to Keep ‘Cryptojackers’ Off Your Devices As Bitcoin Soars," 21 Dec. 2017

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'central processing unit.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.