freeware
[ free-wair ]
/ ˈfriˌwɛər /
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noun
computer software distributed without charge.
QUIZZES
QUIZ YOURSELF ON PARENTHESES AND BRACKETS APLENTY!
Set some time apart to test your bracket symbol knowledge, and see if you can keep your parentheses, squares, curlies, and angles all straight!
Question 1 of 7
Let’s start with some etymology: What are the origins of the typographical word “bracket”?
First appeared around 1750, and is related to the French word “braguette” for the name of codpiece armor.
First appeared in 1610, based on the French word “baguette” for the long loaf of bread.
First appeared in 1555, and is related to the French word “raquette” for a netted bat.
TAKE THE QUIZ TO FIND OUT Compare shareware.
Origin of freeware
First recorded in 1980–85
Words nearby freeware
free variation, free verse, free vibration, Freeview, free vote, freeware, freeway, free weight, freewheel, freewheeler, freewheeling
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2021
British Dictionary definitions for freeware
freeware
/ (ˈfriːˌwɛə) /
noun
computer software that may be distributed and used without payment
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
Scientific definitions for freeware
freeware
[ frē′wâr′ ]
Software that is available to users for free. Freeware is often made available for downloading over the Internet.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary
Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.