laptop computer
- noun
- /ˈlæpˌtɑp kəmˈpjuːtər/
- Each middle school student received a laptop computer and, upon high school graduation, will get to keep the computer.
- use laptop computer
- portable laptop computer
- laptop computer screen
Books, magazines, a laptop computer, dolls, hoodies, colored pencils, pads of paper, flip flops, sunscreen.
- Books, magazines, a laptop computer, dolls, hoodies, colored pencils, pads of paper, flip flops, sunscreen.
- And so back in the day when we started doing that, now remember, this is pre cell phones, pre Internet, pre, frankly, laptop computers.
Examples
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Candidates in both experimental groups were provided with laptop computers for the purposes of the study.
Academic text (2004) -
Donald types cheerily on a laptop computer at an ergonomic desk.
Fiction book (2002) -
The pictures used in the experiment were presented on a laptop computer.
Academic text (2013) -
These are the same batteries that are used in your laptop computer.
-
The monitor was connected to a laptop computer, from which the slide show could be advanced.
Academic text (2012) -
McCaleb looked past him and saw that his own laptop computer was open and turned on.
Fiction book (2001) -
Students completed survey questions on a laptop computer while simultaneously hearing them over headphones.
Academic text (2003) -
Throughout this sequence, ROD, the reporter, types on a laptop computer, oblivious to what is happening around him.
Fiction book (1997) -
There, machines operating from instructions fed to them by laptop computers slowly extruded plastic to form three-dimensional objects.
Academic text (2011) -
Students completed their assignments on a laptop computer during the class.
Synonyms
A small, light computer you can use on your lap
A small portable computer you carry and use on battery power
A small light laptop for basic tasks and internet use
A very thin, lightweight laptop for easy travel
A small computer you can carry to use in different places
A small light portable computer like a laptop
A very small, light laptop that is easy to carry
Antonyms
How Portable
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'a portable personal computer' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'laptop' (a compact/portable computer) with 'computer' (electronic device for processing data); the second noun simply specifies the category. This straightforward noun–noun compounding is cross-linguistically common and follows basic compositional rules, so a B1 learner who knows both words will readily understand the phrase.
Etymology
Laptop computer gets its name from the simple picture of a small machine that sits on your lap. Because it is small and light enough to rest on the top of your lap, people began calling these portable machines laptop computers, and that's why the name means 'a portable personal computer'.