freeware
Americannoun
noun
Etymology
Origin of freeware
First recorded in 1980–85
Compare meaning
How does freeware compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
Vocabulary lists containing freeware
Computer Science and Technology - Middle School
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Computer Science and Technology - High School
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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.
The game arrived in 2013 as a freeware project authored by a Swedish IT professional named Anton Wallén, right as Google was working to fill in the gaps to worldwide camera coverage.
From The Verge • Dec. 21, 2021
Here’s the caveat: If you weren’t actively looking for a particular program, do NOT download freeware you find on the internet.
From Fox News • Sep. 12, 2021
Ordinary computer users, many of them with no prior hacking experience, volunteered to become “script kiddies,” wielding premade freeware code scripts to contribute to the attack.
From The Guardian • Dec. 2, 2017
They totally left an opening for Kaspersky and some freeware competitors in the SMB space,” says Firstbrook.
From Forbes • Apr. 13, 2011
See also careware, charityware, crippleware, freeware, FRS, guiltware, postcardware, and -ware; compare payware.
From The Jargon File, Version 4.2.2, 20 Aug 2000 by Steele, Guy L.
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.