- 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 © 2016- Computing
- Computingprograms for directing a computer or processing electronic data (distinguished from hardware).
- Radio and Televisionany material requiring the use of equipment, esp. audiovisual material such as film, tapes, or records.
soft•ware
(sôft′wâr′, soft′-),USA pronunciation n.
- Computingthe 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.
- soft + ware1 1955–60
Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::
software /ˈsɒftˌwɛə/ n
'software' also found in these entries:
BitTorrent
- Eula
- Gates
- MP3
- SDK
- TCO
- UML
- adware
- antivirus
- browser
- bulletin board
- cartridge
- configure
- document
- e-wallet
- extreme programming
- firmware
- freeware
- gateway
- groupware
- hard-wired
- hardware
- hypermedia
- hypertext
- install
- keylogging
- killer application
- mail merging
- middleware
- millennium bug
- motion capture
- mySAP
- object
- open
- open source
- operating system
- plug and play
- plug in
- portable
- rip
- screenshot
- shareware
- spyware
- systems analysis
- toolkit
- utility
- vaccine
- warez
- wetware