next-instruction register
nounUK /nɛkst ɪnˈstrʌkʃən ˈrɛdʒɪstə/
US /nɛkst ɪnˈstrʌkʃən ˈrɛdʒɪstər/
A special spot in a computer that holds the address of the next command it will do.
When the program paused, the next-instruction register still pointed to the line that would run afterward.
OTHER MEANINGS
2. A small storage area that keeps track of where the following step in a list of tasks begins.
The robot's next-instruction register told it which step of the recipe to start next.
3. In a classroom game, a card that shows which player's turn comes up next.
The teacher flipped the next-instruction register card to show it was Maya's turn.
4. A bookmark that marks the next page to read in a storybook.
He placed the next-instruction register ribbon on page twelve so he would know where to continue.