machine language

noun

1
: the set of symbolic instruction codes usually in binary form that is used to represent operations and data in a machine (such as a computer)

called also machine code

2

Examples of machine language in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web What’s machine language? Caroline Delbert, Popular Mechanics, 19 June 2020 Since December, though, Clarke has been overwhelmed with entries that clearly have been written by tools that use GPT-3, machine language software developed by the company OpenAI. Scott Nover, Quartz, 22 Feb. 2023 Still, games have spurred machine language understanding, even before Jeopardy. Andrew Moseman, Discover Magazine, 13 Feb. 2011 Assembly language is a low-level intermediary format that is converted to machine language that can then be run directly by the computer. Andrew Hudson, Ars Technica, 14 Mar. 2022 As digital transformation gains traction, organizations are exploring sophisticated technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine language (ML) to improve and expedite critical functions. Sameer Maskey, Forbes, 2 Sep. 2021 Sophisticated programming tools were still years away, so Dr. Rosenbluth programmed in machine language, the strings of 1’s and 0’s a computer understands. New York Times, 9 Feb. 2021 But humans need to be kept in the loop, and both human and machine language expertise needs to be invested in during calmer times so that it can be used effectively in a crisis. Gretchen McCulloch, Wired, 31 May 2020 The worst case came when the editors decided to print your platform's code that month as machine language, which made the whole process almost eye-stabbingly horrible. Nate Anderson, Ars Technica, 25 Nov. 2018

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'machine language.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1947, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Time Traveler
The first known use of machine language was in 1947

Dictionary Entries Near machine language

Cite this Entry

“Machine language.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/machine%20language. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

machine language

noun
1
: the set of symbolic instruction codes used to represent operations and data in a machine (as a computer) that are usually expressed in binary form
2

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