personal computer

noun

Updated on: 12 Apr 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

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
The company's hardware products include the iPhone smartphone, the iPad tablet computer, the Mac personal computer, the iPod portable media player, the Apple Watch smartwatch, the Apple TV digital media player, and the HomePod smart speaker.

— abigail jones, Newsweek, "Apple Inc," 14 Mar. 2018
Even in the office it's called a personal computer, nicknamed PC.

— guest columnist/cleveland.com, cleveland.com, "It's all fun and games until your computer paraphernalia takes over your house: Esther Stasek (Opinion)," 28 Jan. 2018
Each era saw a new group of firms rise to the top, with one leading the pack: IBM in mainframes, Microsoft in personal computers and AWS in cloud computing.

— The Economist, "Life on the edgeThe era of the cloud’s total dominance is drawing to a close," 18 Jan. 2018
Pinto started earning bitcoin in 2015 by mining it from his home, meaning his personal computer was continuously running software that works to solve complex math problems, which over time earns you fractions of the digital money.

— cady voge, WIRED, "Where Could Bitcoin Succeed as a Currency? In a Failed State," 22 Mar. 2018
The personal computer, the internet, the smartphone.

— adam fisher, Smithsonian, "What Will Be the Next Big Thing to Come Out of Silicon Valley?," 22 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

PERSONAL COMPUTER Defined for English Language Learners

personal computer

noun

Definition of personal computer for English Language Learners

: a small computer designed for use by one person at home or in an office

PERSONAL COMPUTER Defined for Kids

personal computer

noun

Definition of personal computer for Students

: a computer designed for an individual user

Learn More about personal computer

Spanish Central: Translation of personal computer Nglish: Translation of personal computer for Spanish speakers Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about personal computer

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personal computer

Definition of personal computer

Recent Examples of personal computer from the Web

First Known Use of personal computer

PERSONAL COMPUTER Defined for English Language Learners

personal computer

Definition of personal computer for English Language Learners

PERSONAL COMPUTER Defined for Kids

personal computer

Definition of personal computer for Students

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personal computer

Definition of personal computer for English Language Learners

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