program

noun

1. A set of structured activities; a plan of action.

   “get with the program”

   “Our program for today’s exercise class includes swimming and jogging.”

2. A leaflet listing information about a play, game or other activity.

   “The program consisted of ads for restaurants and the credits of everyone connected with the play.”

3. A set of principal goals which someone, especially a political party or candidate, supports.

   “the Toronto Sun, a daily tabloid whose programme is roughly that of the American National Enquirer or the British News of the World”

4. A performance of a show or other broadcast on radio or television.

   “Tonight’s program was hosted by Johnny Carson.”

5. A computer program.

   “The program runs on both Linux and Microsoft Windows.”

6. (especially)A particular mindset or method of doing things.

   “Ellis: Come on, John, why don’t you get with the program and tell him where the detonators are?”

7. A custom tracklist.

   “program playback”

verb

1. (transitive)To enter a program or other instructions into (a computer or other electronic device) to instruct it to do a particular task.

   “He programmed the DVR to record his favorite show.”

2. (transitive)To develop (software) by writing program code.

   “I programmed a small game as a demonstration.”

3. (transitive)To put together the schedule of an event.

   “Mary will program Tuesday’s festivities.”

4. To schedule the programming; to determine what will be broadcast.

   “We program for special audience groups, too, as shown by our Mexican language program each Sunday morning.”

5. (transitive)To cause to automatically behave in a particular way.

   “The lab rat was programmed to press the lever when the bell rang.”

   “My point was not to commend but to expose her, and her way of thinking. In another place a teenage character worries that her stomach is too big. I, the author don't think her stomach is too big—the character does, because she's been programmed that way.”