hard drive

American  

[hahrd drahyv] / ˈhɑrd ˈdraɪv /

noun

Computers.

• hard drives
  plural

1. HDD.

2. (loosely) a drive for a computer, as a traditional hard disk drive (HDD) or another drive serving a similar function, as opposed to a very small, portable flash drive.

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hard drive British  

noun

1. computing (on a computer) the mechanism that handles the reading, writing, and storage of data on the hard disk

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hard drive Scientific  

1. A disk drive that reads data stored on hard disks.

2. Also called hard disk drive

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hard drive Cultural  

1. The bulk of the memory of a personal computer is magnetically stored on hard disks that constitute the hard drive. Information in the hard drive is durable, in that it remains magnetically stored when the computer is turned off. (See magnetic memory.)

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• hard drives
  plural

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Etymology

Origin of hard drive

First recorded in 1980–85

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hard drive

Take “Reinstall,” where she uses the reformatted hard drive as a metaphor for—well, it’s hard to say what, exactly, but it sounds good when she’s singing it.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 29, 2026

The experiment generates enormous quantities of information, enough to fill the hard drive of an average laptop within minutes.

From Science Daily ● Sep. 2, 2026

For his part, Ronald Khosla happened to keep up a yearly habit of storing all Canopy data in an external hard drive, because “Microsoft does not make backup easy,” he told me.

From Slate ● Aug. 18, 2026

"But I only brought the hard drive and some clothes. I didn't bring a towel."

From Barron's ● Jul. 27, 2026

My work account was rigged so that I couldn’t browse outside websites, but I’d hacked my visor to allow me to listen to music or stream movies off my hard drive while I took calls.

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

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Related Words

• disk drive
• hardware
• modem
• personal computer
• supercomputer

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