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algorithm

noun

al·go·rithmˈal-gə-ˌri-t͟həm How to pronounce algorithm (audio)

:a procedure for solving a mathematical problem (as of finding the greatestcommon divisor) in a finite number of steps that frequently involves repetition of an operation

broadly:a step-by-step procedure for solving a problem or accomplishing some end

Each search engine has its own proprietary computation (called an "algorithm") that ranks websites for each keyword or combination of keywords.—

Julie Brinton

… sometimes you solve a problem by coming up with analgorithm of some kind. But sometimes you solve a problem in a very ad hoc sort of way.—

William H. Huggins

algorithmic

ˌal-gə-ˈrit͟h-mik How to pronounce algorithm (audio)

adjective

algorithmically

ˌal-gə-ˈrit͟h-mi-k(ə-)lē How to pronounce algorithm (audio)

adverb

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What Doesalgorithm Mean?

The current term of choice for a problem-solving procedure,algorithm, is commonly used nowadays for the set of rules a machine (and especially a computer) follows to achieve a particular goal. It does not always apply to computer-mediated activity, however. The term may as accurately be used of the steps followed in making a pizza or solving a Rubik’s Cube as for computer-powered data analysis.

Algorithm is often paired with words specifying the activity for which a set of rules have been designed. Asearch algorithm, for example, is a procedure that determines what kind of information is retrieved from a large mass of data. Anencryption algorithm is a set of rules by which information or messages are encoded so that unauthorized persons cannot read them.

Though first attested in the early 20th century (and, until recently, used strictly as a term of mathematics and computing),algorithm has a surprisingly deep history. It was formed fromalgorism “the system of Arabic numerals,” a word that goes back to Middle English and ultimately stems from the name of a 9th-century Persian mathematician, abu-Jaʽfar Mohammed ibn-Mūsa al-Khuwārizmi, who did important work in the fields of algebra and numeric systems.

Examples ofalgorithm 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.

The analyst added that Atmus’ core growthalgorithm is also expected to accelerate following this deal.—

Lisa Kailai Han,CNBC, 26 Nov. 2025To navigate this cosmic design space, the team is now turning to AIalgorithms and heuristics.—

Mrigakshi Dixit,Interesting Engineering, 26 Nov. 2025Instead, the only nonpublic data that can be used to train the software'salgorithm must be at least one year old.—

NPR, 26 Nov. 2025For quantum computers to runalgorithms faster than classical computers can, they must be fed a supply of magic states as a kind of fuel.—

Shalma Wegsman,Quanta Magazine, 25 Nov. 2025See All Example Sentences foralgorithm

Word History

Etymology

alteration of Middle Englishalgorisme, from Old French & Medieval Latin; Old French, from Medieval Latinalgorismus, from Arabical-khuwārizmi, fromal-Khwārizmī flourisheda.d. 825 Islamic mathematician

First Known Use

1926, in the meaning definedabove

Time Traveler

The first known use ofalgorithm was in 1926

See more words from the same year