compute

verb

com·​pute kəm-ˈpyüt 

computed; computing

transitive verb

: to determine especially by mathematical means

Compute the area of the triangle.

also : to determine or calculate by means of a computer

computing pi to over one billion places

intransitive verb

1

: to make calculation : reckon

They compute by weight in selling grain.

2

: to use a computer

3

informal : to make sense

No matter how you do the math, it will not work. … It simply does not compute.

—Chuck Finder

Synonyms of compute

• calculate
• figure

Examples of compute in a Sentence

for the test we were required to compute the answers without using a calculator

Recent Examples on the Web

The costs of chips are rising as tech giants shell out billions on computing power. —Tom Chivers, semafor.com, 30 Apr. 2026

Meanwhile Alphabet’s stock jumped as its cloud computing unit reported strong growth, signaling that its AI investments are starting to pay off. —Bloomberg, Mercury News, 30 Apr. 2026

Officials involved in the program describe the system as part of a broader push toward computing self-reliance. —Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 30 Apr. 2026

Oracle, which has a $300 billion, five-year partnership to supply computing power to OpenAI for AI operations, dropped more than 4%. —Yun Li, CNBC, 28 Apr. 2026

Word History

Etymology

Latin computare — more at count

First Known Use

1579, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Phrases Containing compute

• pre-compute

Rhymes for compute

• acute
• aleut
• astute
• beetroot
• breadfruit
• cheroot
• commute
• confute
• dilute
• dispute
• elute
• grapefruit

Kids Definition

compute

verb

com·​pute kəm-ˈpyüt 

computed; computing

1

: to determine or calculate especially by mathematical means

also : to determine or calculate by means of a computer

2

informal : to make sense

computable

-ˈpyüt-ə-bəl

adjective

Etymology

from Latin computare "to count, compute" — related to account, count entry 1