<p><strong>noun</strong></p><ul><li>any object made by human beings, especially with a view to subsequent use.</li><li>a handmade object, as a tool, or the remains of one, as a shard of pottery, characteristic of an earlier time or cultural stage, especially such an object found at an archaeological excavation.</li><li>any mass-produced, usually inexpensive object reflecting contemporary society or popular culture: artifacts of the pop rock generation.</li><li>a substance or structure not naturally present in the matter being observed but formed by artificial means, as during preparation of a microscope slide.</li><li>a spurious observation or result arising from preparatory or investigative procedures.</li><li>any feature that is not naturally present but is a product of an extrinsic agent, method, or the like: statistical artifacts that make the inflation rate seem greater than it is.</li><li>Digital Technology. a visible or audible anomaly introduced in the processing or transmission of digital data: Ghosting artifacts in an MRI are usually the result of patient movement during a scan.</li><li>Your computer might need a new graphics card if you see green pixels where you should not, or other graphics artifacts.</li></ul><p><strong>verb (used with object)</strong></p><ul><li>Digital Technology. to introduce a visible or audible anomaly in (an image or audio file) during the processing or transmission of digital data: The video appears to be heavily artifacted.</li><li>Compression may artifact your recording with clicking or echoing sounds.</li></ul>