desktop

American  

[desk-top] / ˈdɛskˌtɒp /

adjective

1. small or compact enough to fit or be used on a desk.

   a desktop calendar.

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noun

• desktops
  plural

1. the surface of a desk.

2. Computers.

   1. Also called desktop computer. a computer that is not portable, often consisting of a CPU, monitor, keyboard, and mouse.

   2. the primary display screen of a graphical user interface, on which various icons represent files, groups of files, programs, or the like, which can be moved, accessed, added to, put away, or thrown away in ways analogous to the handling of file folders, documents, notes, etc., on a real desk.

desktop British  

/ ˈdɛskˌtɒp /

noun

1. the main screen display on a personal computer, from which windows may be opened and programs run

2. (modifier) denoting a computer system, esp for word processing, that is small enough to use at a desk

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• desktops
  plural

Etymology

Origin of desktop

First recorded in 1925–30; desk + top ¹

Explanation

A desktop is the surface of a desk, the part you use for writing or resting your laptop on. Particularly tidy people might need to clean the entire desktop before getting any work done. Your literal desktop — the top or surface of your desk — inspired the name for your computer desktop, the home screen on which you organize icons representing your files. When you're using a computer, you generally start from your desktop, opening windows or clicking on a file. When desktop is used as an adjective, it typically means "meant to be kept and used on your desk," like a desktop computer or a desktop scanner.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

desktop desktops

Apple unveiled two desktop computers in September, the Mac mini and Mac Studio, which it touted as powerful new options capable of processing AI software locally.

From Barron's ● Oct. 7, 2026

After that, I sat down at my desktop computer and typed an email to my editors to let them know what happened to me and that I was OK.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026

He pointed to laptop production being slower than usual and demand for desktop computers looking “particularly weak.”

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 8, 2026

Apple is releasing new, higher-priced models of its Mac Mini and Mac Studio desktop machines featuring faster chips for AI.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026

She turned to her computer, shook her mouse to wake it up, and then clicked an image on her desktop.

From "Turtles All the Way Down" by John Green

When consumers moved from laptops and desktops to smartphones about 15 years ago, it produced a crisis in Silicon Valley.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 18, 2026

Cybersecurity startup Ent has raised $100 million in seed funding to help companies gauge unusual behavior on desktops, laptops and other devices, shutting down potential data risks at lightning speed.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 16, 2026

RTX Spark-powered laptops and desktops, made by the likes of Dell and Lenovo, will be available this autumn, Nvidia said.

From Barron's ● Jun. 1, 2026

Once students started using desktops from prison classrooms, he pre-loaded academic articles onto thumb drives they could explore offline.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 30, 2025

Sprawled on the floor, standing around in small groups, or sitting on desktops, they were leafing through old newspapers, looking for the editorial pages.

From "The Landry News" by Andrew Clements