pc

pc — noun

1. a computer that one person uses directly for everyday work, study, or home tasks

1.nounA2
Definition

a computer that one person uses directly for everyday work, study, or home tasks.

Example

The teacher saved the class photos on her PC at school.

on a PC

My PC froze again while I was printing the train tickets.

PC + verb for machine problems

Common collocations
  • buy a PC
  • use a PC
  • PC screen
  • PC at home
Synonyms
  • computer

    broader everyday word that covers PCs, laptops, and other types

  • desktop

    narrower word for a non-portable computer on a desk

  • workstation

    more technical word for a more powerful work computer

Grammar Patterns

use a PC

on a PC

PC + verb

Usage Note

Usually a countable noun. When the type matters, speakers often choose 'laptop' or 'desktop' instead; 'PC' is also common when contrasting a Windows machine with a Mac.

Common Mistakes

I left my PC in my backpack on the train.
I left my laptop in my backpack on the train.
a machine carried in a backpack is usually called a laptop.
There are twenty PC in this room.
There are twenty PCs in this room.
add -s in the plural.

2. in Britain, a police officer of the basic regular rank; the short form stands fo

2.nounC1
Definition

in Britain, a police officer of the basic regular rank; the short form stands for 'police constable'.

Example

A PC outside the station asked Maya for her address.

a PC + verb

Two PCs were guiding children across the road after school.

plural: PCs

Common collocations
  • a PC stopped
  • two PCs
  • speak to a PC
  • PC outside the station
Synonyms
  • police officer

    the broad standard term in modern English

  • constable

    the full rank word behind the abbreviation

  • cop

    much more informal and not rank-specific

Grammar Patterns

a PC

two PCs

speak to a PC

Usage Note

Used mainly in British police news, reports, and official contexts. In wider international English, many speakers simply say 'police officer' instead.

Common Mistakes

The article said three PC arrested the driver.
The article said three PCs arrested the driver.
the plural form adds -s.
A PC stopped me in New York.
A police officer stopped me in New York.
this abbreviation is mainly British.

pc — adjective

Word family

  • personal computer
    nounA2
  • politically correct
    adjectiveC1
  • political correctness
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

'PC' is a short everyday label for a personal computer, but its exact range depends on context. 'Computer' is broader and can cover desktops, laptops, and other machines. 'Desktop' is narrower: it means a non-portable computer that usually stays on a desk. 'Laptop' is also a personal computer, but it highlights portability, battery power, and a folding screen. 'Mac' names Apple's line of computers, so it often appears as the contrast word when people say 'PC or Mac'. Because of that contrast, 'PC' sometimes suggests a Windows-type machine, though in other contexts it simply means any personal computer. You might say 'The hotel has a PC in the lobby', but 'I packed my laptop for the train'.

pc ↗computer ↗desktop ↗laptop ↗Mac ↗

Etymology

English

PC is not one old inherited word. It is a modern initialism built from the first letters of longer English expressions. The computer sense comes from 'personal computer', a term that became widespread when single-user home and office machines grew common in the late twentieth century. The British police sense shortens 'police constable', an established rank name. The adjective sense shortens 'politically correct', a phrase that became widely discussed in public debate in the later twentieth century. So the shared spelling joins several separate abbreviations rather than one continuous historical meaning.