Meanings
plural Turing machines
- computingAn abstract computing machine that has a finite number of possible internal states and operates on an infinite memory tape by first reading a symbol from a cell in the tape, and then, deterministically, based on that symbol and the machine’s state, writing a symbol in that cell, moving to a neighboring cell, and/or changing state.
Another class, P, is a subset of NP, and includes all decision problems that can be solved by a (deterministic) Turing machine in polynomial time.
2017, Arlindo Oliveira, The Digital Mind: How Science Is Redefining Humanity, MIT Press, →ISBN, page 81Synonyms: a-machine
Synonyms & antonyms
nounAn abstract computing machine that has a finite number of possible internal states and operates on an infinite memory tape by first reading a symbol from a cell in the tape, and then, deterministically, based on that symbol and the machine’s state, writing a symbol in that cell, moving to a neighboring cell, and/or changing state.
Origin
Named after English mathematician, logician, and cryptographer Alan Turing (1912–1954), who introduced the concept in 1936 to give a mathematically precise definition of computability. Turing called it an a-machine; the term "Turing machine" was coined by his doctoral advisor Alonzo Church.
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic آلَة تورنج
- آلَة تورنجabstract machine
Chinese Mandarin 圖靈機 /图灵机, 確定型圖靈機 /确定型图灵机
- 圖靈機 /图灵机 (túlíngjī)abstract machine
- 確定型圖靈機 /确定型图灵机 (quèdìngxíng túlíngjī)abstract machine
Czech Turingův stroj
- Turingův strojabstract machine
Finnish Turingin kone
- Turingin koneabstract machine
French machine de Turing
- machine de Turingabstract machine
German Turingmaschine
- Turingmaschineabstract machine
Hebrew מכונת טיורינג
- מכונת טיורינג (mechonát tyúring)abstract machine
Hungarian Turing-gép
- Turing-gépabstract machine
Icelandic Turing-vél, Turing vél
- Turing-vélabstract machine
- Turing vélabstract machine
Italian macchina di Turing
- macchina di Turingabstract machine
Persian ماشین تورینگ
- ماشین تورینگabstract machine
Polish maszyna Turinga
- maszyna Turingaabstract machine
Portuguese máquina de Turing
- máquina de Turingabstract machine
Romanian mașină Turing
- mașină Turingabstract machine
Russian маши́на Тью́ринга
- маши́на Тью́ринга (mašína Tʹjúringa)abstract machine
Spanish máquina de Turing
- máquina de Turingabstract machine
Turkish Turing makinesi
- Turing makinesiabstract machine
Cite this entry
Turing machine. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Turing%20machine
“Turing machine.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Turing%20machine. Accessed November 2, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “Turing machine,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/Turing%20machine.
Source: Turing machine on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.