definitions

disk drive

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR disk drive ON THESAURUS.COM

noun Computers.

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.

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RELATED WORDS

drive

Nearby words

disjuncture, disjune, disk, disk crank, disk crash, disk drive, disk flower, disk harrow, disk jockey, disk operating system, disk pack

Origin of disk drive

First recorded in 1970–75
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

British Dictionary definitions for disk drive

disk drive

noun

computing the controller and mechanism for reading and writing data on computer disksSee also disk (def. 2)
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

Science definitions for disk drive

disk drive

Computer Science A device that reads data stored on a magnetic or optical disk and writes data onto the disk for storage.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.