computed; computing
: to determine especially by mathematical means
Compute the area of the triangle.
1
: to make calculation : reckon
They compute by weight in selling grain.
2
: to use a computer
3
informal
: to make sense
No matter how you do the math, it will not work … . It simply does not compute.—
Chuck Finder
Chuck FinderExamples of compute in a Sentence
for the test we were required to compute the answers without using a calculator
Recent Examples on the Web
OpenAI is committed to investing $300 billion in computing power with Oracle over the next five years, which averages $60 billion per year.
—Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 7 Oct. 2025
The deal, latest in a string of investment commitments, underscores OpenAI and the broader AI industry's voracious appetite for computing power as companies race toward developing AI technology that meets or exceeds human intelligence.
—Max A. Cherney, USA Today, 6 Oct. 2025
These graphs tell you how to stitch the simpler interactions back together in order to compute the scattering amplitude of the original collision.
—Kevin Hartnett, Quanta Magazine, 6 Oct. 2025
On Monday, OpenAI announced a deal to source up to 6 gigawatts of computing power from AMD.
—Senior Reporter, PC Magazine, 6 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for compute
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Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, Fortune, 7 Oct. 2025
The deal, latest in a string of investment commitments, underscores OpenAI and the broader AI industry's voracious appetite for computing power as companies race toward developing AI technology that meets or exceeds human intelligence.
—Max A. Cherney, USA Today, 6 Oct. 2025
These graphs tell you how to stitch the simpler interactions back together in order to compute the scattering amplitude of the original collision.
—Kevin Hartnett, Quanta Magazine, 6 Oct. 2025
On Monday, OpenAI announced a deal to source up to 6 gigawatts of computing power from AMD.
—Senior Reporter, PC Magazine, 6 Oct. 2025
See All Example Sentences for compute
Cite this Entry
“Compute.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/compute. Accessed 8 Oct. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
compute
verb
com·pute
kəm-ˈpyüt 
computed; computing
1
: to determine or calculate especially by mathematical means
also
: to determine or calculate by means of a computer
2
informal
: to make sense
computable
adjective
-ˈpyüt-ə-bəl
Etymology
from Latin computare "to count, compute" — related to account, count entry 1
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