program
Americannoun
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programs
plural
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a plan of action to accomplish a specified end.
a school lunch program.
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a plan or schedule of activities, procedures, etc., to be followed.
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a broadcasted television or radio production or similar internet-based content produced for distribution.
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Also called computer program. Digital Technology. a precise sequence of instructions enabling a computer to perform a task; a piece of software.
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a collection of principles, actions, objectives, etc., established with a long-term goal in mind; platform; policy.
A review of our education initiatives and programs suggests we are meeting our goals.
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a list of items, pieces, performers, etc., in a musical, theatrical, or other entertainment.
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an entertainment with reference to its pieces or numbers.
a program of American and French music.
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a planned, coordinated group of activities, procedures, etc., often for a specific purpose, or a facility offering such a series of activities.
a drug rehabilitation program;
a graduate program in linguistics.
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a prospectus or syllabus.
a program of courses being offered.
verb (used with object)
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programs,
present (3rd person singular)
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programmed,
past participle, past
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programed,
past participle, past
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programming,
present participle
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programing
present participle
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to schedule as part of a program.
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Digital Technology. to write code for (a computer program or application).
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to insert or encode specific operating instructions into (a machine or apparatus).
We'll program the bells to ring at ten-minute intervals.
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to insert (instructions) into a machine or apparatus.
An automatic release has been programmed into the lock as a safety feature.
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to cause to absorb or incorporate automatic responses, attitudes, or the like; condition.
Our parents programmed us to respect our elders.
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to set, regulate, or modify so as to produce a specific response or reaction.
Program your eating habits to eliminate sweets.
verb (used without object)
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programs,
present (3rd person singular)
-
programmed,
past participle, past
-
programed,
past participle, past
-
programming,
present participle
-
programing
present participle
-
to plan or write a program.
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Digital Technology. to write computer code.
noun
verb
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(tr) to feed a program into (a computer)
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(tr) to arrange (data) into a suitable form so that it can be processed by a computer
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(intr) to write a program
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A organized system of instructions and data interpreted by a computer. Programming instructions are often referred to as code.
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See more at source code See also programming language
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Participles
Conjugated Forms
Present
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programsimple
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programssimple
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have programedperfect
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have programmedperfect
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has programedperfect
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has programmedperfect
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am programingprogressive
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am programmingprogressive
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are programingprogressive
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are programmingprogressive
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is programingprogressive
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is programmingprogressive
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have been programingperfect progressive
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have been programmingperfect progressive
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has been programingperfect progressive
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has been programmingperfect progressive
Past
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programedsimple
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programmedsimple
-
had programedperfect
-
had programmedperfect
-
was programingprogressive
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was programmingprogressive
-
were programingprogressive
-
were programmingprogressive
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had been programingperfect progressive
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had been programmingperfect progressive
Future
Etymology
Origin of program
First recorded in 1625–35; from Late Latin programma, from Greek prógramma “public notice in writing”; see pro- 2, -gram 1
Explanation
A program is a sequence or plan. At your niece's dance recital you may be dismayed to discover that her piece is 19th on the program. Settle in! Program comes from the Greek for "public notice." When you go to the theater, you'll be handed a program with the names of the play and the performers. We call television or radio shows programs, especially if they’re on regularly. If you're trying to get in shape, you'll need an exercise program. To program is to plan or organize something, or to write the code and execute the commands that make computers work.
Vocabulary lists containing program
Computer Science and Technology - Introductory
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Computer Science and Technology - Middle School
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Computer Science and Technology - High School
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
The Treasury Department announced it will significantly increase government bond purchases under its buyback program.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
Participating agencies have agreed to begin a collaborative effort to restore wetlands and a science program to guide the endeavor.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
The Treasury Department surprised markets on Wednesday by announcing plans next month to expand a U.S. government-debt buyback program started in 2024 by former Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen, which provided some relief to the market.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 19, 2026
Six years after graduating from a four-year program with a chemistry degree, Alexander Chamberlain-Clay, a 28-year-old software engineer, owes about $110,000.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
Jacobs had gone through the same Salomon Brothers training program that I had, and now worked for a small investment bank called Alex Brown.
From "The Big Short" by Michael Lewis
This is going to be debated all season because so many well-known football programs changed coaches.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
Their negotiations on Pyongyang’s nuclear-weapons and ballistic-missile programs went nowhere, and there have been no “good faith” negotiations for almost seven years.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 19, 2026
Texas Instruments teamed up with math educators and textbook publishers to create an ecosystem for teacher training programs and instruction materials that would seamlessly standardize TI across American classrooms.
From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026
People who run service orgs with low budgets and benefited for years from Microsoft’s programs no longer have much of the technology they need to keep things going—for either the short or long term.
From Slate ● Aug. 18, 2026
More than twenty-eight hundred Peace Corps volunteers were now trained to implement programs for girls internationally.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
Spain's biggest lender accidentally made a second payment Saturday to about 75,000 people and firms due for one-off or programed payments from 2,000 businesses with accounts at its U.K. unit.
From Washington Post ● Dec. 30, 2021
He explains how he would make dishes, and the robot would be programed to copy his movement.
From BBC ● Dec. 19, 2021
Leidecker used iPads programed to listen and acoustically act.
From Los Angeles Times ● Oct. 2, 2018
While it’s hard to know if this effort was coordinated, either one individual or several individuals appear to have programed numerous bots to help seed the conspiracy theory on Twitter.
From Slate ● Sep. 7, 2018
I vaguely remember a TV story from the 50s that showed a room size computer at DuPont that was programed to generate millions of syllables for prefixes and syllables for suffixes.
From New York Times ● Jan. 15, 2015
But having Venus in Pisces is like if your heart came programmed with a directed-by-Sofia-Coppola-dead-wife-montage to glimpse into that possibility.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 23, 2026
It turned out the bot was programmed with generative AI without the nonprofit’s knowledge.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 11, 2026
Cells treated with PCAIs produced higher levels of reactive oxygen species, activated caspase enzymes, increased levels of the pro-apoptotic protein BAX, and underwent widespread apoptosis, a form of programmed cell death.
From Science Daily ● Jun. 29, 2026
"But the robots are friendly, they're polite and they're programmed to be careful. They've slotted into everyday life in loads of communities since we started out in the UK back in 2018."
From BBC ● Jun. 17, 2026
But Roz was programmed to keep herself in good working order, and once she was back on her feet, she immediately began cleaning herself off.
From "The Wild Robot" by Peter Brown
More Spheres would be bullish for the company because of royalty and other income, as well as the ability to distribute original programing in multiple locations.
From Barron's ● Oct. 16, 2025
Non-routine cognitive jobs include public relations and computer programing.
From Science Daily ● Apr. 17, 2024
Indeed, Kunst’s submission to the 2018 CRC points to this TV programing note in the Miami News for channel 10’s Florida Journal on Oct.
From Slate ● Jan. 18, 2024
A ground-floor entrance and windows will afford much greater visibility to its exhibitions, bookstore and public programing, while another level will supply additional offices for administrative and publication staff.
From New York Times ● Sep. 15, 2022
The Satellite Home Viewer Improvement Act of 1999 amended section 111 by substituting "statutory" for "compulsory" and "programming" for "programing," wherever they appeared.
From Copyright Law of the United States of America and Related Laws Contained in Title 17 of the United States Code, Circular 92 by United States
The Versant-owned channel announced Wednesday that the service, called MS NOW Membership, will also provide an array of digital offerings in addition to a live stream of TV programming.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 19, 2026
Expanded student unions, more-comfortable residence halls, larger recreation centers, campus programming offices and improved dining choices became the norm.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 14, 2026
Computer programming, advertising and the pharmaceutical industry were areas of strength, the ONS said.
From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026
In the past, North Korean missiles have flown over Japan, triggering sirens, smartphone alerts and special programming on television.
From Barron's ● Aug. 11, 2026
“It is not in my programming to care about having a multiplicity of phrases.”
From "A Rover's Story" by Jasmine Warga
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
