CPU

abbreviation or noun

ˌsē-(ˌ)pē-ˈyü 

variants or less commonly cpu

plural CPUs also cpus

: the component of a computer system that performs the system's basic operations (such as processing data), that exchanges data with the system's memory or peripherals, and that manages the system's other components

The speed at which the central processing unit (CPU) runs, measured in megahertz, is a good indicator of a computer's power …

—Brad Hill

These [gaming] consoles require operating systems and CPUs that are different from desktop computers.

—finance.yahoo.com

—often used before another noun

CPU speed/performance

called also central processing unit, processor

Examples of CPU in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This 2-in-1 HP laptop gives you a lot of bang for your buck, including an Intel Ultra 7 CPU, a 1TB SSD, and 16GB of RAM. —Jade Chung-Lee, PCMAG, 18 Oct. 2024

The fifth-generation EPYC CPU offers up to 192 efficiency cores for web apps and up to 192 cores for performance-demanding apps. —Karl Freund, Forbes, 11 Oct. 2024

One of Intel’s key efficiency improvements was getting rid of separate memory sticks or chips, baking it into the CPU package instead. —Sean Hollister, The Verge, 3 Sep. 2024

These are all coordinated by a 64 MHz ARM CPU, which aggregates and processes all this data. —Tom Hawking, Popular Science, 14 Aug. 2024

For years, engineers and attackers alike have been most focused on potential vulnerabilities in a computer's central processing unit (CPU) and have optimized for efficiency on GPUs, leaning on them for raw processing power. —Lily Hay Newman, WIRED, 9 Aug. 2024

When run on systems without those graphics cards, the system’s CPU is used to create video recordings which may cause a noticeable performance impact on those systems. —Jay Peters, The Verge, 26 June 2024

The Rubin platform will include new graphics processing units, or GPUs, a new central processing unit (CPU) called Vera, and advanced networking chips, Huang said. —Britney Nguyen, Quartz, 10 June 2024

No Limits In practice, the utility of Loopy Pro is limited only by your imagination and the CPU power of your iPad. —Pete Cottell, WIRED, 2 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

central processing unit

First Known Use

1962, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

cpu

noun

ˌsē-ˌpē-ˈyü 

often capitalized C&P&U

: the part of a computer that does most of the data processing

Etymology

central processing unit