data processing

noun

: the converting of raw data to machine-readable form and its subsequent processing (such as storing, updating, rearranging, or printing out) by a computer
data processor noun

Examples of data processing in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
What To Know The exemptions, effective retroactively from April 5, apply to goods such as automatic data processing machines, semiconductors, and flat-panel displays. Josh Hammer, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Apr. 2025 Model training runs on the AI stack backed by GPUs, but the pipelines surrounding it that provide the data to it run on the standard CPU stack are not unlike typical data processing systems. Dinesh Subhraveti, Forbes.com, 9 Apr. 2025 Bernstein analysts pegged data processing machine imports at about $200 billion in 2024, mostly from Mexico, Taiwan, China and Vietnam. Deborah Mary Sophia, USA Today, 3 Apr. 2025 Noninterest expenses rose by $394,000, primarily due to higher salaries and employee benefits, professional fees, and data processing costs. Quartz Intelligence Newsroom, Quartz, 28 Mar. 2025 See All Example Sentences for data processing

Word History

First Known Use

1954, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of data processing was in 1954

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Cite this Entry

“Data processing.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/data%20processing. Accessed 21 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

data processing

noun
: the action or process of putting data into a computer and having the computer use it to produce a desired result

More from Merriam-Webster on data processing

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