Meanings
phrase
- humorousThat does not make sense.
Origin
A phrase commonly uttered by robots in science-fiction stories. The first recorded source is the television show My Living Doll from 1964.
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
APA
does not compute. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/does%20not%20compute
MLA
“does not compute.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/does%20not%20compute. Accessed November 4, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “does not compute,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/does%20not%20compute.
Source: does not compute on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.