Algorithm
nounverified·updated May 9, 2026
A finite set of step-by-step instructions for a problem-solving or computation procedure, especially one that can be implemented by a computer.
SANS Glossary of Security Terms
Senses
Comptroller's Handbook: Model Risk Management, Version 1.0
A set of computational rules to be followed to solve a mathematical problem. More recently, the term has been adopted to refer to a process to be followed, often by a computer.
Computers and Intractability: A Guide to the Theory of NP-Completeness
algorithms are step-by-step procedures for solving problems. For concreteness, we can think of them simply as being computed programs, written in some precise computer languages
The Art of Computer Programming, Volume 2: Seminumerical Algorithms
precise rules for transforming specified inputs into specified outputs in a finite number of steps
Wordset Dictionary
a precise rule (or set of rules) specifying how to solve some problem
Classifications
Entity Type
Process72%llm-generatedllm:claude-haiku-4-5
?unassignedlast reviewed —
Sensitivity
unclassified
Information Class
unclassified
Variants
- synonym
- algorithmic programalgorithmic rule
- plural
- Algorithms
- possessive
- Algorithm's
- pluralpossessive
- Algorithms'