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freeware

American  
[free-wair] / ˈfriˌwɛər /

noun

  1. computer software distributed without charge.


freeware British  
/ ˈfriːˌwɛə /

noun

  1. 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

freeware Scientific  
/ frēwâr′ /
  1. Software that is available to users for free. Freeware is often made available for downloading over the Internet.


Etymology

Origin of freeware

First recorded in 1980–85

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Vocabulary lists containing freeware

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.