computation

noun

com·​pu·​ta·​tion ˌkäm-pyu̇-ˈtā-shən 

-pyü-

1

a

: the act or action of computing : calculation

b

: the use or operation of a computer

2

: a system of reckoning

3

: an amount computed

computational

ˌkäm-pyu̇-ˈtā-sh(ə-)nəl 

-pyü-

adjective

computationally adverb

Synonyms of computation

• calculation
• math
• arithmetic

Examples of computation in a Sentence

methods used for the computation of taxes

The solution required a series of computations.

Recent Examples on the Web

Data centers are doing billions of transactions and computations across the country to service tens of millions of users every minute. — Stephen Moore, Boston Herald, 24 July 2026

The deterministic layer checks computations rather than asking a language model to predict them. — Ray Ravaglia, Forbes.com, 21 July 2026

The framework also reduced the inference computation needed to achieve comparable performance by about 80%. — Rupendra Brahambhatt, Interesting Engineering, 18 July 2026

Cells seem able to conduct this kind of computation very efficiently, creating little energy dissipation and relying, in part, on the intrinsic thermodynamics of intermolecular interactions. — Quanta Magazine, 15 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Rhymes for computation

• abdication
• aberration
• abjuration
• abnegation
• abrogation
• acceptation
• acclamation
• acclimation
• accusation
• activation
• actuation
• acylation

Kids Definition

computation

noun

com·​pu·​ta·​tion ˌkäm-pyu̇-ˈtā-shən 

1

: the act or action of computing : calculation

2

: a system of calculating especially by mathematical means

3

: an amount computed

computational

-shnəl 

-shən-ᵊl

adjective