preprogram
verb
pre·pro·gram
ˌprē-ˈprō-ˌgram 
-grəm
variants
or pre-program
preprogrammed or pre-programmed; preprogramming or pre-programming
: to program (something or someone) in advance
Users preprogram their contacts into the app, and with the press of a button, the app will automatically text those contacts.—
Issi Lapowsky
Issi LapowskyIn commercial or industrial buildings you could preprogram lighting cycles …—Trevor Pott
Trevor Pott… before birth we are preprogrammed with a wide amplitude of longevity prospects, intelligence and physical capabilities.—Ken Miller
Ken Miller
preprogrammed
ˌprē-ˈprō-ˌgramd
adjective
-grəmd
or pre-programmed
preprogrammed settings/instructions
a preprogrammed flight plan
genetically preprogrammed behavior
preprogramming
noun
or pre-programming
… no preprogramming is involved and a vision system isn't required to map the terrain. Instead, the elastic actuators that make up the robot's legs conform to the surface it's walking on …
—Brian Heater
Brian Heater
For example, we inherited a belief that there are 365 days in each year. … By default, we've accepted this preprogramming through habit and belief in truth set by others.
—Aaron Anson
Aaron Anson
Examples of preprogram in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The serendipity involved represents a key element of the art of traveling: not needing to control or preprogram your experience, letting things unfold organically and taking the chance to be delighted by the unexpected.
—Washington Post, 13 Jan. 2022
Instead of trying to preprogram actions, Microsoft decided to teach its gaming technology to recognize gestures in real time just like a human does: by extrapolating from experience.
—Susan Kuchinskas, Scientific American, 7 Jan. 2010
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Washington Post, 13 Jan. 2022
Instead of trying to preprogram actions, Microsoft decided to teach its gaming technology to recognize gestures in real time just like a human does: by extrapolating from experience.
—Susan Kuchinskas, Scientific American, 7 Jan. 2010
Cite this Entry
“Preprogram.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/preprogram. Accessed 30 Oct. 2025.
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