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Synonyms

disk drive

American  

noun

Computers.
  1. a device that, using an access mechanism under program control, enables data to be read from or written on a spinning magnetic disk, magnetic disk pack, floppy disk, or optical disk.


disk drive British  

noun

  1. computing the controller and mechanism for reading and writing data on computer disks See also disk

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

disk drive Scientific  
  1. Computer Science A device that reads data stored on a magnetic or optical disk and writes data onto the disk for storage.


Etymology

Origin of disk drive

First recorded in 1970–75

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Rare earths are a term covering 17 metallic elements that are key for manufacturing components used in products such as smartphones, batteries, and hard disk drives, among others.

From The Wall Street Journal

In particular, the firm favors makers of hard disk drives, such as Western Digital and Seagate Technology, which have more room to grow as drive prices rise.

From Barron's

Demand for the companies’ hard disk drives, or HDDs, is just that strong.

From Barron's

“It’s kind of like the hard disk drive story,” Fox said, explaining that EMS companies can stack different solutions and expand margins while saving end users money.

From Barron's

It makes a wide variety of motors used in everything from hard disk drives to electric vehicles and also produces machine tools, inspection devices and cooling equipment used at data centers.

From The Wall Street Journal