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.

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disk drive British  

noun

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

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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.

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Etymology

Origin of disk drive

First recorded in 1970–75

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

disk drive

Analysts have continually updated their estimates for storage stocks over the last several weeks due to hard disk drive demand.

From Barron's ● Oct. 13, 2025

She means the CD-ROM drive and hard disk drive, two features she has never known a computer to have in her lifetime.

From Washington Post ● Mar. 1, 2023

And, with no onboard disk drive, that’s not good for the robust player, but Microsoft has come up with a compromise.

From Washington Times ● Nov. 26, 2022

You can’t stick something in the disk drive, though, because there is no disk drive.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 27, 2018

When Halliday had first started programming, the poor kid hadn’t even had access to a floppy disk drive.

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline

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Related Words

• hard disk

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