personal computer

noun

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

Examples of personal computer in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

While smartphones caused the downturn in personal computers years ago, sales of smartphones themselves have now stalled. — Matt O'brien, The Seattle Times, "Apple’s stock sours, Microsoft’s soars. Say what?!," 27 Nov. 2018 There are sacrifices in presentation, particularly in the city and diplomatic views, but under the hood, this is the Civilization VI that has driven so many gamers' binges on personal computers and the iPad. — Samuel Axon, Ars Technica, "Review: Civilization VI on the iPhone is the full experience," 4 Oct. 2018 Castillo is accused of sending files containing child pornography via the internet with his personal computer during a six-month period from October 2017 through March 2018, according to the district attorney’s office. — Brittny Mejia, latimes.com, "L.A. County Department of Children and Family Services employee charged with distributing child pornography," 11 July 2018 The technology world reoriented around the smartphone, supplanting the personal computer, MP3 players, the digital camera and maps. — Sarah Krouse, WSJ, "The Big Hangup: Why the Future Is Not Just Your Phone," 12 Jan. 2019 Assange has since regained internet access, but only for his personal computer and phone. — Alex Ward, Vox, "Julian Assange is fighting the Ecuadorian government over a cat," 19 Oct. 2018 Dell Technologies is going public again, five years after going private to transform itself amid slowing personal computer sales. — Klint Finley, WIRED, "Dell Is Ready to Go Public Again. But Has it Really Changed?," 2 July 2018 This last injunction was popular advice for professional women before the rise of personal computers. — Elizabeth Emens, WSJ, "The Stickiness of ‘Life Admin’," 30 Dec. 2018 Memory chips, which are crucial components of personal computers and smartphones, are sold like commodities, and producers have historically had mixed luck matching supply with demand. — Jeran Wittenstein, The Seattle Times, "Record chip stock rally is fraying, reviving painful memories," 10 Sep. 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.