iterate
verb · adjective
Simple meaning
To perform or repeat an action on each item in a set.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
iteraytSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈɪtɚeɪt
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
verb
computing
To perform or repeat an action on each item in a set.
designambitransitive
To repeat an activity, making incremental changes each time.
computingmathematics
To perform or repeat an action on the results of each such prior action.
adjective
Said or done again; repeated.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- C2 · Proficient (estimated)
- Frequency
- Uncommon
- Typical Use
- Primarily written
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: To perform or repeat an action on each item in a set.
Used this way, iterate is a specialist word that usually carries little praise or criticism of its own. This is a computing use: it carries a fixed technical meaning inside software and systems work.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Specialist/technical
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Specialized
- Connotation
- Clinical and technical
- Usage feel
- Technical and specialized
Where it naturally appears
- Technology
- Technical/specialist writing
- Business/professional
Usage note
In general conversation this sense usually needs explaining — outside its field, people reach for a plainer word.
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Word family
Words built from the same root.
The aspect of the verb that expresses the repetition of an action.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: said or done again
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Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.