hard drive

American  

[hahrd drahyv] / ˈhɑrd ˈdraɪv /

noun

Computers.

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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Etymology

Origin of hard drive

First recorded in 1980–85

Example Sentences

Despite strong results, Western Digital’s stock dropped 6% after-hours, reflecting investor expectations amid the AI boom’s pressure on hard drive supply.

From Barron's • Apr. 30, 2026

Investigators found a loaded, 10-round magazine, two knives, a laptop, hard drive, Metro receipt and a filtered mask inside Allen’s hotel room, people familiar with the probe said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 27, 2026

Hayley: For Clyde, I think laptop, hard drive, computer charger, phone, wallet.

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 14, 2026

And unlike most leading U.S. models, R1 is open-weight, meaning that its parameters are publicly available for anyone to download on their hard drive.

From MarketWatch • Jan. 24, 2026

And the internal hard drive had enough storage space to hold three digitized copies of Everything in Existence.

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

Related Words

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