processor
noun
Simple meaning
A device which processes, which changes something.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
prahsuhserSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈpɹɑsɛsɚ
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.
noun
A device which processes, which changes something (a computer processor, food processor, etc.).
Someone who processes things (foods or photographs or applicants etc.)
A person or institution who processes things (foods, photos, applications, etc.).
A central processing unit.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A2 · Elementary (estimated)
- Frequency
- Common
- Typical Use
- General English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: A device which processes, which changes something (a computer processor, food processor, etc.).
Used this way, processor 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.
More ways to use processor
- “My computer has a very fast processor, making it efficient for work.”noun
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Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
An application program that deals with natural language text.
The part of a computer (a microprocessor chip) that does most of the data processing.
An application that provides the user with tools needed to write and edit and format text and to send it to a printer.
A machine for performing calculations automatically.
A kitchen appliance with interchangeable blades.
Related Words
Connected to the same idea, not synonyms.
- mipsnoun
- riscnoun
- cpunoun
- instructionsnoun
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Sense: device which processes
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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.