personal computer

noun

Updated on: 9 May 2018

Definition of personal computer

: a general-purpose computer equipped with a microprocessor and designed to run especially commercial software (such as a word processor or Internet browser) for an individual user

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Recent Examples of personal computer from the Web

About 53 million tax returns were filed online by individuals using a personal computer in fiscal 2017, according to the IRS Data Book.

— susan tompor, Detroit Free Press, "5 tips for really last-minute Tax Day filers," 16 Apr. 2018
But those were simpler times, before personal computers and cloud technology and electronic court dockets.

— cristian farias, Daily Intelligencer, "Robert Mueller May or May Not Go, But His Work Won’t Go Anywhere," 13 Apr. 2018
Built in the 1960s, the campus was once home to IBM’s North American Research and Development arm, which devised the personal computer.

— david lyons, Sun-Sentinel.com, "Boca Raton Innovation Campus, former home to IBM, sells for reported $179 million," 10 Apr. 2018
Caryl doesn't use electronics or maps — his fishing is based on experience and the spots are logged in the personal computer in his head.

— paul a. smith, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "Smith: Wolf River walleye run signals start of spring in Wisconsin," 31 Mar. 2018
His work included moving personal computers into a wide area of network communications.

— Washington Post, "The story must be told.," 22 Feb. 2018
Another thing that today doesn’t look right in the movie is that nobody has a personal computer.

— stephen wolfram, WIRED, "2001: A Space Odyssey Predicted The Future—50 Years Ago," 3 Apr. 2018
There's Arash at 6, sitting in front of a bulky Tandy 1000 personal computer.

— eric adler, kansascity, "Blue Valley Northwest grad is a billionaire, thanks to the tech company he founded | The Kansas City Star," 28 Mar. 2018
The Americans had far surpassed the Russians by then in most types of technology, not least with the invention of the internet and the personal computer.

— simon shuster, Time, "This KGB Chief Rang the Alarm About Russia-U.S. Cyberwars. No One Listened.," 23 Mar. 2018

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

First Known Use of personal computer

1959

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

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