- the programs that can be used with a particular computer system
Compare hardware
WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2016
soft•ware /ˈsɔftˌwɛr, ˈsɑft-/USA pronunciation
n. [uncountable;
used with a singular verb]
WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2016used with a singular verb]
- Radio and Televisionany material requiring the use of equipment, esp. audiovisual material such as film, tapes, or records.
programs for directing a computer or processing electronic data (distinguished from hardware
soft•ware
(sôft′wâr′, soft′-),
n.
n.
- Computing[Computers.]the programs used to direct the operation of a computer, as well as documentation giving instructions on how to use them. Cf.hardware (def. 5).
- Radio and Televisionanything that is not hardware but is used with hardware, esp. audiovisual materials, as film, tapes, records, etc.:a studio fully equipped but lacking software.
- Show Business[Television Slang.]prepackaged materials, as movies or reruns, used to fill out the major part of a station's program schedule.
Etymology:
- soft + ware1 1955–60
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
software /ˈsɒftˌwɛə/ n
'software' also found in these entries:
adware
- antivirus
- BitTorrent
- browser
- bulletin board
- cartridge
- configure
- document
- Eula
- e-wallet
- extreme programming
- firmware
- freeware
- Gates
- gateway
- groupware
- hardware
- hard-wired
- hypermedia
- hypertext
- install
- keylogging
- killer application
- mail merging
- middleware
- millennium bug
- motion capture
- MP3
- mySAP
- object
- open
- open source
- operating system
- plug and play
- plug in
- portable
- ˈrip
- screenshot
- SDK
- shareware
- spyware
- systems analysis
- TCO
- toolkit
- UML
- utility
- vaccine
- warez
- wetware
