Phrase guide

personal computer

noun · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A computer for use by one person at a time (using a microprocessor).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • Near-synonyms: desktop computer, microcomputer
  • He is working on an important project on his personal computer.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: PC, desktop computer, microcomputer

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A computer for use by one person at a time (using a microprocessor).

The IBM Personal Computer.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: historical

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: PC, desktop computer, microcomputer

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A computer for use by one person at a time (using a microprocessor).

A PC-compatible computer.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: dated

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: PC, desktop computer, microcomputer, PC clone, IBM PC clone

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

a small digital computer based on a microprocessor and designed to be used by one person at a time

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: PC, microcomputer

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: digital computer

Narrower terms: desktop computer, portable computer

History

Etymology

Often attributed to Stewart Brand (1974), but in use before (see quotations).

Across languages

Translations

85 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Albanian: kompjuter personal — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
  • Arabic: كَمْبْيُوتَر شَخْصِيّ (kambyūtar šaḵṣiyy) — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
  • Assyrian Neo-Aramaic: ܚܲܫܘܼܒ݂ܵܐ ܦܲܪܨܘܿܦܵܝܵܐ (ḥašūḇā parṣōpāyā) — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
  • Armenian: անհատական համակարգիչ (anhatakan hamakargičʻ) — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
  • Azerbaijani: şəxsi kompüter — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
  • Belarusian: персана́льны камп'ю́тар (pjersanálʹny kampʺjútar) — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
  • Belarusian: пэрсана́льны кампу́тар (persanálʹny kampútar) — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
  • Belarusian: ПК (PK) — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
  • Bengali: ব্যক্তিগত কম্পিউটার (bêktigoto kompiuṭar) — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
  • Bulgarian: персона́лен компю́тър (personálen kompjútǎr) — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
  • Chinese Cantonese: 個人電腦 /个人电脑 (go3 jan4 din6 nou5) — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
  • Chinese Mandarin: 個人電腦 /个人电脑 (gèrén diànnǎo) — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
  • Czech: osobní počítač — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
  • Danish: personlig computer — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
  • Dutch: personal computer — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
  • Estonian: personaalarvuti — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
  • Faroese: egintelda — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
  • Faroese: telda — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
  • Finnish: henkilökohtainen tietokone — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
  • French: ordinateur personnel — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
  • Galician: ordenador persoal — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
  • Georgian: პერსონალური კომპიუტერი (ṗersonaluri ḳomṗiuṭeri) — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
  • German: Personalcomputer — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
  • Greek: προσωπικός υπολογιστής (prosopikós ypologistís) — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
  • Hebrew: מחשב אישי (makhshév ishí) — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
  • Hindi: व्यक्तिगत कंप्यूटर (vyaktigat kampyūṭar) — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
  • Hindi: ज़ाती कंप्यूटर (zātī kampyūṭar) — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
  • Hungarian: személyi számítógép — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
  • Icelandic: einkatölva — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
  • Indonesian: komputer pribadi — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
  • Italian: personal computer — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
  • Italian: computer personale — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
  • Italian: calcolatore personale — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
  • Italian: elaboratore personale — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
  • Italian: ordinatore personale — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
  • Italian: computatore personale — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
  • Italian: computiere personale — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
  • Japanese: パソコン (pasokon) — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
  • Japanese: PC (pī-shī) — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
  • Japanese: パーソナルコンピューター (pāsonaru konpyūtā) — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
  • Kazakh: дербес компьютер (derbes kompüter) — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
  • Korean: 개인용 컴퓨터 (gaeinyong keompyuteo) — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
  • Korean: 피시 (pisi) — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
  • Kyrgyz: персоналдык компьютер (personaldık kompyuter) — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
  • Lao: ຄອມພິວເຕີສ່ວນບຸກຄົນ (khǭm phiu tœ̄ sūan buk khon) — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
  • Latvian: personālais dators — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
  • Lithuanian: asmeninis kompiuteris — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
  • Macedonian: личен сметач (ličen smetač) — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
  • Malay: komputer peribadi — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
  • Mongolian: персональ компьютер (personalʹ kompʹjüter) — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
  • Navajo: béésh bee akʼeʼelchí áłtsisígíí — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
  • Norwegian Bokmål: personlig datamaskin — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
  • Iranian Persian: رایانِهٔ شَخْصی (râyâne-ye šaxsi) — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
  • Polish: komputer osobisty — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
  • Portuguese: computador pessoal — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
  • Romanian: computer personal — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
  • Romanian: calculator personal — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
  • Russian: персона́льный компью́тер (personálʹnyj kompʹjútɛr) — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
  • Russian: ПК (PK) — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
  • Scottish Gaelic: coimpiutair pearsanta — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
  • Serbo-Croatian: персонални рачунар — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
  • Serbo-Croatian: персонално рачунало — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
  • Serbo-Croatian: особни компјутер — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
  • Serbo-Croatian: personalni računar — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
  • Serbo-Croatian: personalno računalo — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
  • Serbo-Croatian: osobni kompjuter — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
  • Sindhi: ذاتِي ڳڻپيُوڪَرُ (zātī ḡaṇpyūkaru) — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
  • Sinhalese: පෞද්ගලික පරිගණකය (paudgalika parigaṇakaya) — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
  • Slovak: osobný počítač — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
  • Slovene: osebni računalnik — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
  • Spanish: ordenador personal — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
  • Spanish: computadora personal — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
  • Spanish: computador personal — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
  • Swedish: persondator — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
  • Tajik: компутари фардӣ (komputar-i fardi) — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
  • Tajik: роёнаи шахсӣ (royona-yi šaxsi) — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
  • Thai: คอมพิวเตอร์ส่วนบุคคล (kɔm-piu-dtə̂ə-sùuan-bùk-kon) — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
  • Turkish: kişisel bilgisayar — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
  • Ukrainian: персона́льний комп'ю́тер (personálʹnyj kompʺjúter) — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
  • Ukrainian: ПК (PK) — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
  • Urdu: ذاتی کَمْپْیُوٹَر (zātī kampyūṭar) — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
  • Uzbek: shaxsiy kompyuter — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
  • Vietnamese: máy tính cá nhân — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
  • Xibe: ᡦᡞ ᠰᡟᡞ (pi syi) — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC
  • Xibe: ᡝᠮᡨᡝ ᠨᡞᠶᠠᠯᠮᠠ ᠪᠣᡩᠣᡨᡠᠨ (emte niyalma bodotun) — small computer for use by one person at a time — see also PC