What does computerizing mean?
"Computerizing" is the present participle and gerund of the verb "computerize", meaning to convert a task, system, or body of records from manual operation to operation by computer. When organizations speak of computerizing their files, accounts, inventories, or workflows, they describe replacing paper-based or hand-performed processes with digital systems. The word rose to prominence in the second half of the twentieth century, when businesses, libraries, and government agencies undertook large-scale efforts to move their records onto computers, and it remains common in administrative and technical contexts. Its tone is neutral and practical, though it often implies progress, efficiency, and modernization. Related forms include "computerize", "computerized", and "computerization", which names the broader process itself.
verbThe present participle and gerund of "computerize": to convert a system, process, or set of records so that it is operated or stored by means of computers rather than manually.
- To convert a manual system, process, or set of records into a computer-based one.
- (Gerund) The act or process of introducing computer technology into an organization or workflow.
"The hospital spent two years computerizing its patient records."
"The library is computerizing its card catalogue, replacing decades of handwritten index cards."
"Computerizing the payroll saved the company thousands of hours of clerical work each year."
The word "computer" itself only dates from the 17th century as a term for a person who computes — so "computerizing" once would have meant hiring more people with pencils.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of computerizing
The verb "computerize" was formed in the mid-twentieth century by adding the productive English suffix "-ize" to "computer". The word "computer" itself derives from the Latin "computare", meaning "to count or calculate", formed from "com-" (together) and "putare" (to reckon). Notably, "computer" originally referred to a person who performed calculations, before electronic machines adopted the name in the 1940s. Cognates sharing the Latin root include "compute", "computation", and "count" (via related Latin roots).
Related word forms
How computerizing is actually used
"Computerizing" is neutral in register but often carries connotations of modernization and efficiency. It frequently appears in discussions of institutional change — offices, libraries, hospitals — especially when contrasting older manual methods with digital ones. In British English it may be spelled "computerising", though "-ize" spellings are also accepted there.
Easily confused with computerizing
"Computerising" is simply the British spelling of the same word, while "computerizing" uses the American -ize ending; they mean exactly the same thing.