Standard Lemma guide

processor

noun · 7 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.

  • UK: prōʹ-sĕs-ə r
  • UK: /ˈpɹəʊˌsɛsə(ɹ)/
  • US: prŏʹ-sĕs-ər
  • US: /ˈpɹɑˌsɛsɚ/
  • US: /ˈpɹɑsəsɚ/
  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: P R AA1 S EH2 S ER0 Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

A person or institution who processes things (foods, photos, applications, etc.).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • He is a loan processor with a bank.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A device which processes, which changes something (a computer processor, food processor, etc.).

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • The food processor shredded the vegetables.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

A central processing unit.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • This mainframe's processor is fast.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

A microprocessor.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Examples

  • This computer has two processors, but only one keyboard.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

(computer science) the part of a computer (a microprocessor chip) that does most of the data processing

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the CPU and the memory form the central part of a computer to which the peripherals are attached

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: central processing unit, CPU, C.P.U., central processor, mainframe

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: electronic equipment, hardware, computer hardware

6

noun

Meaning 6

a business engaged in processing agricultural products and preparing them for market

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: business, concern, business concern, business organization, business organisation

7

noun

Meaning 7

someone who processes things (foods or photographs or applicants etc.)

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: worker

History

Etymology

Recorded since 1909, from process + -or.

Across languages

Translations

68 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Catalan: processador — device which processes
  • Dutch: verwerker — device which processes
  • French: processeur — device which processes
  • Greek: επεξεργαστής (epexergastís) — device which processes
  • Italian: processore — device which processes
  • Malay: pemproses — device which processes
  • Māori: pūtukatuka — device which processes
  • Polish: procesor — device which processes
  • Portuguese: processador — device which processes
  • Russian: проце́ссор (procéssor) — device which processes
  • Spanish: procesador — device which processes
  • Vietnamese: bộ xử lý — device which processes
  • Albanian: procesor — microprocessor
  • Arabic: مُعَالِج (muʕālij) — microprocessor
  • Armenian: պրոցեսոր (procʻesor) — microprocessor
  • Azerbaijani: prosessor — microprocessor
  • Belarusian: працэ́сар (pracésar) — microprocessor
  • Bulgarian: проце́сор (procésor) — microprocessor
  • Catalan: processador — microprocessor
  • Chinese Mandarin: 處理器 /处理器 (chǔlǐqì) — microprocessor
  • Chinese Mandarin: 處理機 /处理机 (chùlǐjī) — microprocessor
  • Czech: procesor — microprocessor
  • Danish: processor — microprocessor
  • Dutch: processor — microprocessor
  • Dutch: centrale verwerkingseenheid — microprocessor
  • Dutch: CVE — microprocessor
  • Dutch: CPU — microprocessor
  • Estonian: protsessor — microprocessor
  • Finnish: suoritin — microprocessor
  • Finnish: prosessori — microprocessor
  • French: processeur — microprocessor
  • Georgian: პროცესორი (ṗrocesori) — microprocessor
  • German: Prozessor — microprocessor
  • Greek: μικροεπεξεργαστής (mikroepexergastís) — microprocessor
  • Hindi: प्रक्रमक (prakramak) — microprocessor
  • Hungarian: processzor — microprocessor
  • Indonesian: prosesor — microprocessor
  • Italian: processore — microprocessor
  • Japanese: プロセッサ (purosessa) — microprocessor
  • Japanese: 演算機 (enzanki) — microprocessor
  • Kazakh: процессор (prosessor) — microprocessor
  • Korean: 프로세서 (peuroseseo) — microprocessor
  • Kyrgyz: процессор (protsessor) — microprocessor
  • Latvian: procesors — microprocessor
  • Lithuanian: procesorius — microprocessor
  • Macedonian: проце́сор (procésor) — microprocessor
  • Marathi: प्रोसेसर (prosesar) — microprocessor
  • Mongolian: процессор (processor) — microprocessor
  • Norwegian Bokmål: prosessor — microprocessor
  • Norwegian Nynorsk: prosessor — microprocessor
  • Iranian Persian: پَرْدازَنْدِه (pardâzande) — microprocessor
  • Polish: procesor — microprocessor
  • Portuguese: processador — microprocessor
  • Romanian: procesor — microprocessor
  • Russian: проце́ссор (procéssor) — microprocessor
  • Serbo-Croatian: про̀цесор — microprocessor
  • Serbo-Croatian: pròcesor — microprocessor
  • Slovak: procesor — microprocessor
  • Slovene: procesor — microprocessor
  • Spanish: procesador — microprocessor
  • Swedish: processor — microprocessor
  • Tajik: коркардкунанда (korkardkunanda) — microprocessor
  • Tajik: протсессор (protsessor) — microprocessor
  • Turkish: işlemci — microprocessor
  • Turkmen: prosessor — microprocessor
  • Ukrainian: проце́сор (procésor) — microprocessor
  • Urdu: پَروسیسَر (parosesar) — microprocessor
  • Uzbek: protsessor — microprocessor
Real reading context

processor in complete knowledge articles