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Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English
computer
noun
COLLOCATIONS FROM OTHER ENTRIES
a computer file
▪ Delete some of the old computer files and create some space on the hard drive.
a computer program
▪ The pictures were generated by a computer program.
a computer/phone/oil etc company
▪ an international oil company
a computer/video game
▪ He was up all night playing computer games.
analogue computer/circuit/technology
computer boffins
computer boffins
computer crime (=committed using computers)
▪ It is usually companies that are the victims of computer crime.
computer data (=kept on a computer)
▪ Digital cameras transfer pictures and sound into computer data.
computer error
▪ An on-board computer error meant that the plane’s systems shut down for a few vital seconds.
computer freak
▪ a computer freak
computer modelling
▪ computer modelling of the city’s traffic flow
computer modelling
computer modelling of the system
computer nerd
▪ a computer nerd
computer science
▪ a BSc in Computer Science
computer simulation
▪ a computer simulation used to train airline pilots
computer software
▪ He is the owner of a computer software company.
computer technology
▪ the rapid development of computer technology in the 1950s and 1960s
computer users
▪ Computer users are being warned to look out for the virus.
computer virus
computer/car/insurance etc salesman
computer/IT skills
▪ We’re looking for someone with good IT skills.
computer/video/stereo etc equipment
▪ Ageing computer equipment should be replaced, not upgraded.
desktop computer
fashion/computer/women’s etc magazine
▪ a glossy fashion magazine
▪ She’s the editor of a popular women’s magazine.
high-speed computer/network/modem etc
▪ high-speed Internet access
machine/computer/radio etc operator
▪ computers which can be used by untrained operators
neural computer
personal computer
quantum computer
television/TV/computer monitor
▪ She was staring at her computer monitor.
the computer age (=since computers became widely used)
▪ the modern computer age
the music/entertainment/computer etc business
▪ He started out working in the computer business.
COLLOCATIONS FROM CORPUS
■ ADJECTIVE
large
▪ Microcomputers can not store as much data as the larger computers nor can they process it as quickly.
▪ A large computer maker came to Professional Secretaries International because it was losing many of its best secretaries.
▪ The Library carries out literature searches on behalf of staff, by interrogating large bibliographic databases which are mounted on very large computers.
▪ The three companies are among the largest computer sellers in the country.
▪ This was an integrated family of large computers with related software which would allow for convenient upgrading.
▪ Therefore, they rely on large server computers on a network.
▪ Obtain a manual describing the instruction set of a medium or large computer.
▪ Cisco Systems, the world's largest computer network equipment maker, reported better than expected fourth-quarter profits.
new
▪ Can people ever run out of new uses for computers?
▪ But another factor is that instruction manuals that usually accompany new computer hardware and software are difficult to understand.
▪ His ideas for change would involve some regrouping of staff, and some need for training with new computer software.
▪ When you bought that new computer a couple of years ago, you probably thought its 500-megabyte hard disk would last for ever.
▪ Our success is based on making an organisation's use of new or existing computer systems efficient and effective.
▪ Purchasers include the many thousands of people who bought new computers at Christmas that came pre-loaded with it.
▪ But there are things that some people do without thinking-the ski trip, the new computer.
personal
▪ An optional gateway function to other terminals and personal computers is included, as is a printing function.
▪ Intel controls about three-fourths of the market for the main chips in personal computers.
▪ The personal computer provides a window through which datasets can be explored for hidden and unexpected relations.
▪ Mr Frankenberg became chief executive of Novell Inc., the second-largest personal-computer software company, 20 months ago.
▪ It will also distribute Tandy's Victor Technologies personal computer line.
▪ The money will be put towards the purchase of personal computers for running chemistry software applications.
▪ It is based on personal computer architecture, and can be directly attached to the local network in a client-server architecture.
▪ The Ni1000 can be combined with a personal computer for fast character recognition, Intel says.
■ NOUN
application
▪ It should be noted however, that many computer applications may not require recognition of pen input.
▪ After learning one computer application, she discovered that it was easy to learn more.
▪ This means that the data analysis stage is as crucial as the implementation stage of the computer applications.
▪ Structured documents messaging consists of the automated interchange of standardized and approved messages between computer applications, via telecommunications lines.
▪ They have excelled in leading-edge technologies for military and computer applications.
▪ The curriculum should include courses in office technology, accounting, business mathematics, computer applications, and business law.
▪ It connects computer applications, merges reports, builds pictures, develops concepts.
▪ Locally and nationally, the expanding software and computer applications industrial sector offers challenging and rewarding employment prospects.
company
▪ But to what extent to customers really tell a computer company all it needs to know?
▪ The fit makes even more sense alongside the innumerable software and multimedia computer companies in Carlsbad.
▪ A woman change master at a computer company began an important project this way.
▪ Hoskyns had built up a computer company and been active in the Centre for policy Studies before joining Mrs Thatcher.
▪ For jobs, this meeting would open the door to his next opportunity: the Next computer company.
▪ But computer companies want faster chips, and faster means smaller.
desktop
▪ In 1996 desktop computer software will allow two-way conversations, bringing the technology to the mass market.&038;.
▪ They paid for the desktop computer he uses to scan biographical data.
▪ At first, I just ran the Equalizer program on a desktop computer.
▪ The company expects the early versions of the chip will go into low-end desktop computers primarily sold outside the United States.
▪ The desktop computer grew in power and user friendliness until it was increasingly hard to tell apart from the workstation.
▪ According to Adkins, the on board computing power is about equivalent to the first small desktop computers.
▪ Microsoft recently announced Video for Windows, which enables a desktop computer to display small video clips.
game
▪ For instance, the network will begin by offering a Web site to play computer games.
▪ Haven is also putting in PlayStation 2 venues in response to pleas for more computer games.
▪ Later, it will expand to include a radio talk show where players can talk about computer games.
▪ Each mini roll is individually wrapped and features a character from the SuperMario computer game.
▪ The museum car also features computer games and quizzes to test visitors' knowledge of train lore and station architecture.
▪ Many applications of the technology are starting to emerge, divided between computer games, educational programs and professional uses.
▪ They played computer games, partied together, had a lot of the same friends.
games
▪ Children from well-off families would rather play computer games than go outside.
▪ Demos have been around as long as computer games.
▪ We both read a great deal and play computer games.
▪ Ann Chait remembers telling her sons Jon and David to stop playing computer games and get their homework done.
▪ Arnie may not win many Oscars, but the big guy's action-packed movies sure make great computer games.
▪ The children in particular had a great time with computer games, entertainers and bouncy castles to keep them occupied.
▪ Haven is also putting in PlayStation 2 venues in response to pleas for more computer games.
▪ Entertainment World run one of the biggest computer games clubs.
home
▪ Certainly there are commercially available recognition units which can be plugged into home computers but they are very unsophisticated.
▪ The company said the multicasting also will include high-speed transmission of data to business and home computers.
▪ The only editorial guideline was that the subject should have something to do with leisure software for home computers.
▪ An example: Your home computer has a C: drive, as does your office computer.
▪ Takagi was able to work on her home computer, she needed to concentrate.
▪ One of the most powerful features of the current generation of home computers is their graphics.
▪ Q.. We have a home computer and have just gone on-line.
industry
▪ Its 25% net margin is bettered in the computer industry only by Intel, the world's biggest micro-processor maker.
▪ Zygo, which makes laser-based measuring instruments used in the computer industry, fell 2 to 21.
▪ Microsoft lowered its earnings forecast by 5-6 % after a wave of disappointing results from the computer industry.
▪ The computer industry is determined to shape a market, substantially broader than that for computers-the success story of the 1980s.
▪ Applications of expert determination in the energy and computer industries are set out in Chapter 7.
▪ In recent years multimedia has taken on a negative connotation in the computer industry.
▪ For example, the computer industry and telecommunications are now converging as technology advances.
▪ Mr Gates realizes the dangers of government meddling in the computer industry, both for producers and consumers.
maker
▪ Another 7 percent is contracted with independent software house, and computer makers provide the remaining 6 percent.
▪ NatWest Securities raised its rating on the computer maker to accumulate from hold.
▪ Its operating software costs almost nothing to market and sell; computer makers hammer on Microsoft's door to buy the stuff.
▪ The relatively weak sales that many computer makers experienced in the 1995 Christmas season has caused nervousness in the industry.
▪ The Cupertino computer maker is not alone in the burgeoning field, however.
▪ An analyst at Salomon Brothers Inc. upgraded the rating on the computer maker to strong buy from buy.
▪ Jobs co-founded Apple but left the Cupertino computer maker in a power struggle in 1984.
model
▪ The experiments will be linked to attempts to develop computer models which simulate object naming processes in humans.
▪ Barnston reviewed many computer models developed over the years to forecast El Nino events.
▪ This, too, is just like the biomorph computer model.
▪ Indeed, some of the largest institutional money managers catering to wealthy individual investors advertise tax-related investment strategies based on computer models.
▪ The resultant computer models are used in oil field development.
▪ Of 13 computer models, eight anticipated moderate warming; two, weak warming; and three, no warming.
▪ To investigate further the link between planning and language a computer model will be implemented.
▪ We need better computer models and more reliable climate data before we take any drastic countermeasures. 3.
network
▪ There, the case for network computers is focused more on the desktop itself.
▪ Neuroscience Network Projects: Scientists are increasingly turning to chemistry and biology to create new designs for neural network computer systems.
▪ The problem with network computers is that they are no better than the networks they are connected to.
▪ On Monday night, Ellison also made another pitch for his $ 500 network computer.
▪ In principle, the idea of network computers is sound enough.
▪ Companies such as Oracle are jumping on the bandwagon, too, with low-priced network computers.
▪ In a few years it will be clearer whether specialized network computers really do offer any other advantages.
notebook
▪ Its SPARCbook 2 notebook computer is expected early next year.
▪ The Presario 1000, a multimedia notebook computer.
▪ GRiD also holds the Patent on the idea of a fold-up screen which is part of every laptop, or notebook computer.
▪ Almost since the invention of the notebook computer, buyers have complained about its cost.
▪ A new San Jose-based subsidiary of the huge company has begun shipping its first products: notebook computers aimed at business users.
program
▪ Those writing and developing computer software should distribute the computer programs in object code form only.
▪ This has included buying both a computer program and flash cards that drill them on math facts.
▪ The exclusion from patent of computer programs reflects international trends.
▪ Very simply, these so-called models are computer programs that analyze a lot of meteorological information fed into them.
▪ One day, the primary teacher guiding children through their instructional computer program may be able to prevent reading failure altogether.
▪ In our last weeks before unemployment, several of us learned the Quark XPress computer program.
▪ This fact has emerged during a pilot test of a new computer program developed by scientists for the Department of Transport.
▪ In some respects, the decision strengthens copyright protection for computer programs.
science
▪ Applied mathematics and computer science are distinct disciplines, but they are now locked for ever in an inseparable embrace.
▪ Both of these languages are capable of doing what you want and don't try to blind you with computer science.
▪ Jef Raskin had degrees in computer science and philosophy.
▪ Brailsford and Beach adopt a general view, regarding electronic publishing as the use of computer science and electronics to present information.
▪ Other disciplines, such as philosophy, psychology, and computer science, sample freely from both traditions.
▪ A first approach to an entity model for an academic department of computer science is given in Figure 3.1.
▪ Seventh period Michael has computer science, primarily seen as a way to develop word-processing skills for college.
screen
▪ A huge office, full of computer screens and flashing lights.
▪ The software appears as a floating palette on the computer screen.
▪ The others will cover such things as workplace conditions and the use of work equipment, with computer screens getting special attention.
▪ Richard Chang slides an electronic pawn across the chess board on his computer screen.
▪ Just above the milometer was a small computer screen, and Jack guessed that she would find that pretty disconcerting.
▪ Too many hours in front of the computer screen can destroy physical fitness.
▪ Breathing rhythm was established by the movement of a bar graph displayed on the computer screen.
▪ He stared at the little green symbols trucking across the computer screen in front of him.
simulation
▪ The logical consistency and adequacy of the theory will then be tested by building computer simulation models of it.
▪ Dawkins works out in some detail a computer program which mirrors this computer simulation of the development of the eye.
▪ A number of exercises would be conducted using computer simulation, rather than actual troops.
▪ His natural habitat is the graph, his occupation the computer simulation.
▪ This can be established by programs in which the actual experimental apparatus is linked to a computer simulation.
▪ This question can now be answered statistically by means of the process of computer simulation.
▪ These are followed up by a short course on computer simulation in Physics for all students in third year.
▪ Using both experimental studies and computer simulation, existing theories of face recognition and learning in general will be evaluated and developed.
software
▪ In 1996 desktop computer software will allow two-way conversations, bringing the technology to the mass market.&038;.
▪ The Chicago Board Options Exchange computer software index was down 7. 5 %.
▪ Firstly, it will disseminate these new procedures to the social science community by means of newsletters workshops and computer software.
▪ The special nature of computer software and the fact that software is usually acquired by means of a licence have several legal implications.
▪ The deals also illustrate businesses growing demand for products to help track accounting, manufacturing and human resource tasks with computer software.
▪ His ideas for change would involve some regrouping of staff, and some need for training with new computer software.
▪ But the addition of sophisticated computer software could extend those capabilities still further.
system
▪ They contain telephone numbers for classified computer systems.
▪ Y., will provide the venture with its skills in integrating and running computer systems.
▪ With automated bibliographic files and online catalogues, browsing has also been applied to searching in computer systems.
▪ Supply Chain Management Until recently, these inventory management strategies were implemented through very expensive computer systems and private networks.
▪ A sizeable computer system contract with Credit Suisse excited investors in electronics firm Rolfe &038; Nolan which jumped 12p to 235p.
▪ He marched off to a local retailer and plunked down nearly $ 3, 000 for a new Power Macintosh computer system.
▪ One way to help this process is to involve all staff affected by computer systems in the computing process.
▪ The computer system had serious deficiencies.
technology
▪ The radio waves, magnetic field and computer technology combine to produce vivid images of the body's soft tissue.
▪ Another comparatively recent development is computer technology.
▪ Throughout the 1960s, as technology, especially computer technology, developed, pressure built up in Parliament for legislative controls.
▪ The nice thing about personal computer technology is that these kinds of wishes often come true.
▪ On the face of it the comparison is almost ludicrous, so great has been the progress in computer technology.
▪ The computer technology of the period was only powerful enough to do the calculations in two dimensions.
▪ Advances in computer technology are now so fast only computers themselves can keep pace with the data.
▪ He expects widespread usage of computer technology to be commonplace before that time.
user
▪ Newsletters produced by computer user groups and societies also offer useful information on software.
▪ Farmington Hills, Michigan-based Compuware develops software products for mainframe computer users.
▪ The virus utilities are a must for every computer user concerned with computer security.
▪ But in the gray area of the Internet, activities that publishers call stealing are commonplace for many computer users.
▪ Perhaps too, Land is right in suggesting that computer users should have been brought more into the argument.
▪ In her study of 496 heavy computer users, she said pathological gambling is the closest type of addiction.
▪ Few things are as instantly heart-stopping to a computer user as the time when his machine starts to behave erratically.
▪ Buller said he and his partner believe there are now enough home computer users to make their service a viable business.
■ VERB
buy
▪ This may not be the right criteria to apply when buying a computer, but what else is an illiterate to do?
▪ Purchasers include the many thousands of people who bought new computers at Christmas that came pre-loaded with it.
▪ They are fast-moving, colourful, noisy, and as good if not better than anything you can buy for home computers.
▪ During the holiday rush, Netcom experienced a crush of Internet users, many of them armed with newly bought personal computers.
▪ When buying a new computer, the same model is usually available with a range of different monitors.
▪ All three knew well that customers buying computers needed some way to make them work together.
▪ The cash will be used to buy a computer which will be adapted for use by disabled children.
design
▪ This waybill is designed for computer use.
▪ He approached it as if he were designing a new computer.
▪ Teams are in hot competition to design computers that not only assist the study of nature, but are natural themselves.
▪ In contrast, the Mac team was off in the ozone, designing a computer that fit their own woolly sensibilities.
use
▪ That current can be used by computer circuits without any further treatment.
▪ But now he uses a computer to draw the designs, and the computer prints them out on canvas.
▪ Whether the class moved to a special room in order to use the computer. 7.
▪ Surveys show millions of workers use their office computers to play games, surf the Net or worse.
▪ It has since been used on many small computers as a means of implementing a rich instruction set at a reasonable price.
▪ That contrasts with three out of five Anglo children who use a computer at school.
▪ The first major attempt to use computer animation in a feature film was largely down to the novelty of the medium itself.
▪ They had little faith that the hoi polloi would very soon be using computers.
PHRASES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
computer literate/musically literate etc
entry level product/model/computer etc
fault-tolerant computer/machine
▪ It believes that the new LightsOut software is the first unattended event monitoring program from a supplier of Unix-based fault-tolerant computers.
▪ The chips are targeted at embedded controls, portable and desktop computers, high-end fault-tolerant machines and supercomputers.
have access to a car/a computer etc
▪ It is seen as an effective means of business communication where relevant staff have access to a computer network.
high-performance cars/computers/tyres etc
▪ The high-performance cars are strictly for the racetrack ... and the message is, going too fast on the roads can kill.
▪ Under the month-long offer, basic models will be £200 cheaper, with the maximum discount on high-performance cars.
in front of the television/TV/computer etc
▪ It is immoral to do the ironing in front of the television when there is a good film on.
▪ Put three movie fans in front of the computer, start the game and quietly leave.
▪ She would install Hannah in front of the television and retreat to another room.
▪ Smoke could be seen seeping in front of the television camera.
▪ That night I cooked dinner and we ate in front of the television.
▪ Then she went back into the living room and sat in front of the television set without turning it on.
▪ Too many hours in front of the computer screen can destroy physical fitness.
oil-based/carbon-based/computer-based etc
palm-sized computer/PC/PDA
EXAMPLES FROM OTHER ENTRIES
computer software
▪ Complex computer graphics were used to create the film's special effects.
▪ How long are you going to be on the computer? I need to type something.
▪ I can't get the program to work on my computer.
▪ It is important that all children become computer literate while they are in school.
▪ Many kids spend more time playing computer games than watching TV.
▪ Our office has switched to a different computer system.
▪ The information from the survey is being processed by computer.
EXAMPLES FROM CORPUS
▪ A specification for the computer system which will satisfy the user's requirements begins to evolve.
▪ Arnie may not win many Oscars, but the big guy's action-packed movies sure make great computer games.
▪ Economies of scale and the use of computers were expected to reduce administrative costs.
▪ I played with a few of the new titles, with lots of technical assistance from some computer literati.
▪ Just above the milometer was a small computer screen, and Jack guessed that she would find that pretty disconcerting.
▪ The Internet is larger and has more types of server computers dishing out information.
▪ There is no doubt that quick recall of number facts is still an advantage even in the era of calculators and computers.
The Collaborative International Dictionary
computer

electronic device \electronic device\ n. a device depending on the principles of electronics and using the manipulation of electron flow for its operation.

Note: Numerous electronic devices are in daily use, among them the television, radio, computer, robot, transmitter, receiver, VCR, CD player, etc.

Douglas Harper's Etymology Dictionary
computer

1640s, "one who calculates," agent noun from compute (v.). Meaning "calculating machine" (of any type) is from 1897; in modern use, "programmable digital electronic computer" (1945 under this name; theoretical from 1937, as Turing machine). ENIAC (1946) usually is considered the first. Computer literacy is recorded from 1970; an attempt to establish computerate (adjective, on model of literate) in this sense in the early 1980s didn't catch on. Computerese "the jargon of programmers" is from 1960, as are computerize and computerization.\n\nWASHINGTON (AP) -- A New York Congressman says the use of computers to record personal data on individuals, such as their credit background, "is just frightening to me."

[news article, March 17, 1968]

Wiktionary
computer

n. 1 (context now rare chiefly historical English) A person employed to perform computations; one who computes. (from 17th c.) 2 by restriction, a male computer, where the female computer is called a computress 3 A programmable electronic device that performs mathematical calculations and logical operations, especially one that can process, store and retrieve large amounts of data very quickly; now especially, a small one for personal or home use employed for manipulating text or graphics, accessing the Internet, or playing games or media. (from 20th c.)

WordNet
computer
  1. n. a machine for performing calculations automatically [syn: computing machine, computing device, data processor, electronic computer, information processing system]

  2. an expert at calculation (or at operating calculating machines) [syn: calculator, reckoner, figurer, estimator]

Wikipedia
Computer

A computer is a device that can be instructed to carry out an arbitrary set of arithmetic or logical operations automatically. Their ability of computers to follow a sequence of operations, called a program, make computers very flexible and useful. Such computers are used as control systems for a very wide variety of industrial and consumer devices. This includes simple special purpose devices like microwave ovens and remote controls, factory devices such as industrial robots and computer assisted design, but also in general purpose devices like personal computers and mobile devices such as smartphones. The Internet is run on computers and it connects millions of other computers.

Since ancient times, simple manual devices like the abacus aided people in doing calculations. Early in the Industrial Revolution, some mechanical devices were built to automate long tedious tasks, such as guiding patterns for looms. More sophisticated electrical machines did specialized analog calculations in the early 20th century. The first digital electronic calculating machines were developed during World War II. The speed, power, and versatility of computers increased continuously and dramatically since then, to the point that artificial intelligence may become possible in the future.

Conventionally, a modern computer consists of at least one processing element, typically a central processing unit (CPU), and some form of memory. The processing element carries out arithmetic and logical operations, and a sequencing and control unit can change the order of operations in response to stored information. Peripheral devices include input devices (keyboards, mice, joystick, etc.), output devices (monitor screens, printers, etc.), and input/output devices that perform both functions (e.g., the 2000s-era touchscreen). Peripheral devices allow information to be retrieved from an external source and they enable the result of operations to be saved and retrieved.

Computer (magazine)

Computer is an IEEE Computer Society practitioner-oriented magazine issued to all members of the society. It contains peer-reviewed articles, regular columns and interviews on current computing-related issues. The magazine can be categorized somewhere between a trade magazine and a research journal, drawing on elements of both. Computer provides information regarding current research developments, trends, best practices, and changes in the computing profession. Subscriptions of the magazine are provided free of cost to IEEE Computer Society members.

Computer covers all aspects of computer science. Since 2009, it has a digital edition too. The current editor is Sumi Helal of the University of Florida. Impact factor for 2013 was 1.438/

Computer (disambiguation)

A computer is a programmable machine that receives input, stores and manipulates data, and provides output in a useful format.

Computer may also refer to:

  • Computer, a magazine that covers current computing-related issues
  • Human computer, a person whose job is to perform mathematical calculations
  • Computer, a character in the cartoon series Courage the Cowardly Dog
  • Personal computer (PC), any computer useful for individuals, and intended to be operated directly by an end user
  • OK Computer, a 1997 album by Radiohead
  • analog computer - a special purpose machine for computing trajectories and signal processing

Usage examples of "computer".

Reaching up, he plucked the end of a wire from a circuit near the front of his head, and inserted it into the adaptor of the computer.

But Leary again has the help of Signals Officer Adele Mundy, who can make computer networks do the apparently impossible.

Elder Adelia skulked back to her chair and pretended to be interested in a button computer on the desk.

It was covered with papers, books, computer printouts and sheet music, all in what appeared to be ordered piles.

Haller received the first of four big amps the remote computers with which he and his team could work their magic.

However, the bottom line is really that such programs are dependent on the computers and the amplifiershuge numbers of remote interfaces and amps are required.

It traveled not only outward, seemingly building and expanding every minute, but also down the download tunnel, through the linkage transmission lines to the Anchors, and seized and cut the master computers.

This would deny the invaders easy access to the Anchors and their master computers and force them to come out overland.

There were eight Birth Center patients in the last two months alone who had low Apgar scores, and all of them, according to the computer at least, belonged to Dr.

Little wonder he describes himself as humming happily as the machine all summer, eager for the first trial print-out in the fall: I myself was as involved by this time in his quest as if it had been my own, and searched vainly, heart-in-mouth, among his technical appendices and catalogues to see whether they might include the Pattern for Heroes, which surely Polyeidus must have plagiarized from him -- unless, as seemed ever less implausible, Computer itself was some future version of my seer.

Right after supper Tom and Bud, with the assistance of Arv and Hank, set to work on the damaged computer.

Those assheads in Services keep blaming it on the computer instead of learning how to do their jobs.

Interfaces comparing the views of the different astrogation computers, all concluding that the HP ship was in hot pursuit of a pirate of some kind.

Kelly trusted him to do a dry run for a transition approach on the computer, with Noguchi handling the tables and Kelly substituting for the astrogator by following records of the actual transition the ship had last made.

Drelb astrophysicist was working alone in her lab amid a wild litter of computer printouts.