word processing

noun

: the production of typewritten documents (such as business letters) with automated and usually computerized typing and text-editing equipment
word process verb

Examples of word processing in a Sentence

These terminals are used mostly for word processing.
Recent Examples on the Web The first wave came ashore in the 1990s with the arrival of dial-up internet access, which made personal computers good for something beyond word processing and basic games. Jonathan Haidt, The Atlantic, 13 Mar. 2024 One of them was navigating the really complex story of what exactly happened in between typewriters and computers—the scary, meandering, incestuous world of teletypes, key punches, calculators, electric typewriters, terminals, and word processing machines. Kevin Purdy, Ars Technica, 3 Oct. 2023 Everything works with a natural logic that will quickly feel comfortable for anyone who has used simple word processing or design programs. Valerie Walsh, wsj.com, 1 Nov. 2023 Productivity Tests The main benchmark of UL's PCMark 10 simulates a variety of real-world productivity and content-creation workflows to measure overall performance for office-centric tasks such as word processing, spreadsheeting, web browsing, and videoconferencing. PCMAG, 18 Sep. 2023 Her switch to word processing programs allowed Didion to cut and paste passages in more complex and seamless ways than her old habit of arranging note cards on the floor. Evelyn McDonnell, The New Republic, 3 Oct. 2023 Processors For word processing and general Internet tasks, nearly any processor on the market will do. Sascha Brodsky, Popular Mechanics, 27 July 2023 The current crop of laptops is fast and reliable, with processors that are capable enough to do things like word processing and web browsing. Sascha Brodsky, Popular Mechanics, 27 July 2023 This suite of productivity tools has become the standard bearer for tasks like word processing, spreadsheet calculations and presentation creation thanks to programs like Word, Excel and PowerPoint, and power users have also learned to love newer programs like OneNote and yes, even Teams. Karl Klockars, PCMAG, 26 May 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'word processing.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1967, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of word processing was in 1967

Dictionary Entries Near word processing

Cite this Entry

“Word processing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/word%20processing. Accessed 29 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

word processing

noun
: the production of typewritten documents (as business letters) with automated and usually computerized equipment for preparing text

More from Merriam-Webster on word processing

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