spreadsheet

noun spread·sheet \ ˈspred-ˌshēt \

Definition of spreadsheet

:an accounting program for a computer; also :the ledger layout modeled by such a program

See spreadsheet defined for English-language learners

Recent Examples of spreadsheet from the Web

In fact, a crowdsourced spreadsheet has asked individuals to identify the locations of every Confederate memorial that still exists—as well as indicate if there are protests planned in effort to dismantle them.

— maggie mallon, Glamour, "Thousands Are Petitioning for a Statue of Heather Heyer to Replace the Robert E. Lee Monument in Charlottesville," 17 Aug. 2017
Google’s embrace of openness was tested a few years ago when an engineer created a spreadsheet for employees to share salary information.

— daisuke wakabayashi, New York Times, "A Crisis Forces Google to Uphold Its Values While Fostering Debate," 11 Aug. 2017
Lucky are those whose name changes are more than spreadsheet transactions.

— leslie mann, chicagotribune.com, "What's in a name? A lot for those who change theirs," 8 Aug. 2017
If not for video and sound, a corporation the size of HBO might fit [entirely] in a terabyte, including all the e-mail and spreadsheets ever written or stored.

— laura bradley, HWD, "The HBO Hack Was Reportedly up to Seven Times Larger Than the Sony Hack," 2 Aug. 2017
The 1.4 gigabytes of files that Wells Fargo’s lawyer sent included copious spreadsheets with customers’ names and Social Security numbers, paired with financial details like the size of their investment portfolios and the fees the bank charged them.

— bess levin, The Hive, "The Mooch’s “Mega Opportunity Cost” Could Make Him $80 Million Richer," 24 July 2017
In New York, national trends make the leap from the spreadsheet to the sidewalk.

— justin davidson, Daily Intelligencer, "The Strange State of New York’s Street-Level Retail Storefronts," 14 July 2017
The spreadsheets presented something radically different: a natural world sharply restricted to facts.

— Longreads, "Late in Life, Thoreau Became a Serious Darwinist," 13 July 2017
But for any data that would fit in the rows and columns of a spreadsheet, such as hospital records, the model can work well.

— paul voosen, Science | AAAS, "How AI detectives are cracking open the black box of deep learning," 6 July 2017

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

First Known Use of spreadsheet

1981

SPREADSHEET Defined for English Language Learners

spreadsheet

noun

Definition of spreadsheet for English Language Learners

: a computer program that calculates numbers and organizes information in columns and rows
: a document that has columns and rows which are used to calculate numbers and organize information