input

in·put (

)

1. Something put into a system or expended in its operation to achieve output or a result, especially:

a. Energy, work, or power used to drive a machine.

b. Current, electromotive force, or power supplied to an electric circuit, network, or device.

c. Computer Science Information put into a communications system for transmission or into a computer system for processing.

d. Computer Science A position, terminal, or station at which input enters a system.

e. Any of the items, including materials, equipment, and funds, required for production.

a. The act of putting in; infusion: a steady input of fuel.

b. An amount put in.

3. Usage Problem

a. Contribution of information or a comment or viewpoint: a discussion with input from all members of the group.

b. Information in general.

tr.v. in·put·ted or in·put, in·put·ting, in·puts Computer Science

To enter (data or a program) into a computer.

Usage Note: The noun input has been used as a technical term for about a century in fields such as physics and electrical engineering, but its recent popularity grows out of its use in computer science, where it refers to data or signals entered into a system for processing or transmission. In general discourse input is now widely used to refer to the transmission of information and opinion, as in The report questioned whether a President thus shielded had access to a sufficiently varied input to have a realistic picture of the nation or The nominee herself had no input on housing policy. In this last sentence the meaning of the term is uncertain: it may mean either that the nominee provided no opinions to the policymakers or that she received no information about housing policy. This vagueness in the nontechnical use of input may be one reason that some critics have objected to it (including, in an earlier survey, a majority of the Usage Panel). Though the usage is well established, care should be taken not to use the word merely as a way to imply an unwarranted scientific precision.

input

Noun

1. resources, such as money, labour, or power, put into a project

2. Computers the data fed into a computer

Verb

[-putting, -put]

to enter (data) in a computer

ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms

Noun	1.	input - signal going into an electronic system input signal signal, signaling, sign - any nonverbal action or gesture that encodes a message; "signals from the boat suddenly stopped"
	2.	input - a statement that expresses a personal opinion or belief or adds information; "from time to time she contributed a personal comment on his account" comment, remark ad-lib - remark made spontaneously without prior preparation; "his ad-libs got him in trouble with the politicians" courtesy - a courteous or respectful or considerate remark statement - a message that is stated or declared; a communication (oral or written) setting forth particulars or facts etc; "according to his statement he was in London on that day" gambit, ploy - an opening remark intended to secure an advantage for the speaker obiter dictum, passing comment - an incidental remark mention, reference - a remark that calls attention to something or someone; "she made frequent mention of her promotion"; "there was no mention of it"; "the speaker made several references to his wife" observation, reflexion, reflection - a remark expressing careful consideration rib - a teasing remark sally, wisecrack, quip, crack - witty remark gibe, jibe, barb, dig, shaft, slam, shot - an aggressive remark directed at a person like a missile and intended to have a telling effect; "his parting shot was `drop dead'"; "she threw shafts of sarcasm"; "she takes a dig at me every chance she gets" conversation stopper, stopper - a remark to which there is no polite conversational reply banality, cliche, commonplace, platitude, bromide - a trite or obvious remark zinger - a striking or amusing or caustic remark; "he always greeted me with a new zinger"; "she tried to think of some killer of an argument, a real zinger that would disarm all opposition"
	3.	input - any stimulating information or event; acts to arouse action stimulant, stimulus, stimulation information - knowledge acquired through study or experience or instruction elicitation, evocation, induction - stimulation that calls up (draws forth) a particular class of behaviors; "the elicitation of his testimony was not easy" kick - the sudden stimulation provided by strong drink (or certain drugs); "a sidecar is a smooth drink but it has a powerful kick" turn-on - something causing excitement or stimulating interest negative stimulation, turnoff - something causing antagonism or loss of interest conditioned stimulus - the stimulus that is the occasion for a conditioned response reinforcer, reinforcing stimulus, reinforcement - (psychology) a stimulus that strengthens or weakens the behavior that produced it discriminative stimulus, cue - a stimulus that provides information about what to do positive stimulus - a stimulus with desirable consequences negative stimulus - a stimulus with undesirable consequences
	4.	input - a component of production; something that goes into the production of output constituent, element, component - an artifact that is one of the individual parts of which a composite entity is made up; especially a part that can be separated from or attached to a system; "spare components for cars"; "a component or constituent element of a system"
Verb	1.	input - enter (data or a program) into a computer computer science, computing - the branch of engineering science that studies (with the aid of computers) computable processes and structures infix, insert, introduce, enter - put or introduce into something; "insert a picture into the text"