variants or less commonly gpu
plural GPUs also gpus
: a specialized CPU designed to efficiently perform calculations for generating computer graphics
A GPU can deliver hundreds of billions of operations per second—some GPUs more than a teraflop, or a trillion operations per second—while requiring only slightly more electrical power and cooling than a CPU.Andrea Di Blas et al.

Examples of GPU in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Best Buy’s price increase also follows reports that Nvidia is planning to increase its GPU prices by 20 to 30 percent, its third such price hike this year. Stevie Bonifield, The Verge, 30 July 2026 Much of that $5 billion will go right back to Nvidia in the form of GPU purchases. Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 29 July 2026 Unaware of the ruse, the press, suspected GPU agents, and hired well-wishers crowded the main Mexico City rail station, eagerly awaiting Trotsky’s train—which never arrived. Literary Hub, 28 July 2026 Not every chip passed certification and a full complement of CPU and GPU cores; those with just one failed GPU core were quietly put aside before being reused in the MacBook Neo. Ewan Spence, Forbes.com, 27 July 2026 See All Example Sentences for GPU

Word History

Etymology

graphics processing unit

First Known Use

1973, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of GPU was in 1973

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Cite this Entry

“GPU.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/GPU. Accessed 5 Aug. 2026.

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