Definition of program
(Entry 1 of 2)
1
[Late Latin programma, from Greek]
: a public notice
2a
: a brief usually printed outline of the order to be followed, of the features to be presented, and the persons participating (as in a public performance)
b
: the performance of a program
especially
: a performance broadcast on radio or television
3
: a plan or system under which action may be taken toward a goal
4
: curriculum
5
: prospectus, syllabus
6a
: a sequence of coded instructions that can be inserted into a mechanism (such as a computer)
b
dated
: a complete plan for solving a problem by the use of a mechanism (such as a computer) that includes both instructions to be inserted into the mechanism and plans for human activities such as interpreting output
c
: the genes or sequences of DNA or RNA that are part of an organism or cell and encode or determine a process, trait, or behavior
… a mouse in which a tiny but crucial bit of the genetic program has been eliminated.— Bruce Fellman
also
: a process, trait, or behavior determined by or as if by the genetic material of an organism
Orb webs are marvels of geometry and construction. They are built according to a complex behavioral program, which is highly flexible in some respects and very precise in others. — Michael H. Robinson
program
verb
variants:
or less commonly programme
programmed or programed; programming or programing
Definition of program (Entry 2 of 2)
1a
: to arrange or furnish a program of or for : bill
b
: to enter in a program
2
: to work out a sequence of operations to be performed by (a mechanism, such as a computer) : to provide with a program
3a
: to insert a program for (a particular action) into or as if into a mechanism (such as a computer)
b
: to control by or as if by a program
c(1)
: to code in an organism's program
(2)
: to provide with a biological program
cells programmed to synthesize hemoglobin
4
: to predetermine the thinking, behavior, or operations of as if by computer programming
children are programmed into violence— Lisa A. Richette
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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Time Traveler for program
The first known use of program was in 1633
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