[Late Latin programma, from Greek]: a public notice
2
a
: a brief usually printed outline of the order to be followed, of the features to be presented, and the persons participating (as in a public performance)
b
: the performance of a program
especially: a performance broadcast on radio or television
3
: a plan or system under which action may be taken toward a goal
: a sequence of coded instructions that can be inserted into a mechanism (such as a computer)
b
dated: a complete plan for solving a problem by the use of a mechanism (such as a computer) that includes both instructions to be inserted into the mechanism and plans for human activities such as interpreting output
c
: the genes or sequences of DNA or RNA that are part of an organism or cell and encode or determine a process, trait, or behavior
… a mouse in which a tiny but crucial bit of the genetic program has been eliminated. Bruce Fellman
also: a process, trait, or behavior determined by or as if by the genetic material of an organism
Orb webs are marvels of geometry and construction. They are built according to a complex behavioral program, which is highly flexible in some respects and very precise in others. Michael H. Robinson
Noun a program of regular dental checkups the program will tell us the scheduled order of musical numbers Verb He programmed the computer to calculate his monthly expenses and earnings. She is learning how to program in school. Can you help me program my cell phone?
Recent Examples on the Web
Noun
Eventually there was a feeder program from the city’s elementary school and junior highs, run by Yvette Holt. John Kelly, Washington Post, 12 Sep. 2022 And 30% to 45% of seniors may be missing out on help from the Medicare Part D Low-Income Subsidy program, which covers plan premiums and cost sharing and lowers the cost of prescription drugs. Judith Graham, CBS News, 12 Sep. 2022 The United States has continued to codify surveillance since 2001, particularly with the Obama-era Countering Violent Extremism (CVE) program and Trump’s rebranded Targeted Violence and Terrorism Prevention (TVTP) initiative. Reina Sultan, Essence, 11 Sep. 2022 Since then, more than 10,000 undergraduates have benefited from Princeton’s aid program, which meets students’ full financial need with grants that do not need to be repaid. Natalie Neysa Alund, USA TODAY, 10 Sep. 2022 That program’s innovative approach to curriculum, linking the city’s business and public school leaders, was widely imitated elsewhere. Bryan Marquard, BostonGlobe.com, 10 Sep. 2022 County officials have discussed hosting a reading program — complete with appearances from NBA mascots — that could give kids opportunities to win prizes like stickers, merchandise or tickets to smaller events during All-Star weekend. Blake Apgar, The Salt Lake Tribune, 10 Sep. 2022 Farley became the first keynote speaker in the village of Niles’ Engage program, which has come out of the pandemic serving some 200 people a week in treatment and recovery programs. George Castle, Chicago Tribune, 10 Sep. 2022 Worsham offers a one-year associates degree (tuition $22,800) and a 16-month online associate degree program (tuition $24,800). Parija Kavilanz, CNN, 10 Sep. 2022
Verb
Under the scenario being discussed, NBC would stop programming the 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. hour and give those seven hours per week to local TV stations to program, the people said. Joe Flint, WSJ, 26 Aug. 2022 The challenge was that since some of the legislation passed at the end of December, IRS was not able to program their computers. Tax Notes Staff, Forbes, 3 Nov. 2021 Kiang will program international titles and Baker will take the lead on films from the U.K. and Ireland. Manori Ravindran, Variety, 21 July 2022 Attaching emotion to successful outcomes will help program your mind and body into producing better golf shots in the future. Paul Christianson, WSJ, 15 June 2022 There are more questions: how will program such as Unlock Potential not only acquire at-risk talent, but also invest in their growth, retention and acceleration? Ali Shahbaz, Forbes, 1 June 2022 No-code is a way to program websites, mobile apps and games without using codes or scripts, or sets of commands. Tam Nguyen, The Conversation, 18 May 2022 Michigan election officials are required to program tabulators to reject ballots containing overvotes. Clara Hendrickson, Detroit Free Press, 6 May 2022 And if there is no way to test for consciousness, there is no way to program it. Stephen Marche, The Atlantic, 19 June 2022 See More
Word History
Etymology
Noun
French programme agenda, public notice, from Greek programma, from prographein to write before, from pro- before + graphein to write — more at carve