a sequence of 8 bits (enough to represent one character of alphanumeric data) processed as a single unit of information
"The programmer spent hours debugging why sending that particular byte resulted in the wrong character appearing on the screen."
A short sequence of bits (binary digits) that can be operated on as a unit by a computer; the smallest usable machine word.
"The programmer spent hours debugging an error caused by misaligned bytes in the image file's header."
In plain English: A byte is a small group of eight bits that computers use to store a single character, like a letter or number.
"You can copy and paste that entire byte to share the file with your friend."
Usage: In computing, a byte is a standard unit of digital information consisting of eight bits used to represent a character or other small data element. Do not confuse this technical term with "bait," which refers to something used to attract fish or animals.
The term "byte" was coined by Werner Buchholz in 1956 to distinguish it from the word "bit." He altered the spelling of "bite" so that a data unit would not be accidentally misspelled as "bit.