hardware

American  

[hahrd-wair] / ˈhɑrdˌwɛər /

noun

1. metalware typically used for repair or construction, as screws, locks, hinges, or machine parts.

   The store has aisles for hardware, lumber, electrical equipment, and plumbing supplies.

2. the mechanical equipment necessary for conducting an activity, usually distinguished from the theory and design that make the activity possible.

3. Computers. the mechanical, magnetic, electronic, and electrical devices comprising a computer system, as the CPU, disk drives, keyboard, or screen.

4. military weapons and combat equipment.

   The tactical concern with retreat was military hardware falling into enemy hands.

5. Slang. a weapon or weapons carried on one's person.

   The rougher types were asked to check their hardware at the door.

6. Slang.

   1. medals or trophies.

      The Olympic athletes posed iconically with their new hardware fanned across their chests, or playfully pretended to bite their gold medals.

   2. jewelry, especially large or flashy pieces of jewelry.

      She loved her engagement ring, but she took it off at work—a bakery is no place for hardware like that.

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hardware British  

/ ˈhɑːdˌwɛə /

noun

1. metal tools, implements, etc, esp cutlery or cooking utensils

2. computing the physical equipment used in a computer system, such as the central processing unit, peripheral devices, and memory Compare software

3. mechanical equipment, components, etc

4. heavy military equipment, such as tanks and missiles or their parts

5. informal a gun or guns collectively

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hardware Scientific  

/ härd′wâr′ /

1. A computer, its components, and its related equipment. Hardware includes disk drives, integrated circuits, display screens, cables, modems, speakers, and printers.

2. Compare software

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hardware Cultural  

1. The physical machinery and devices that make up a computer system. It is contrasted to software — the programs and instructions used to run the system.

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Etymology

Origin of hardware

First recorded in 1505–15; 1955–60 hardware for def. 3; hard + ware ¹

Explanation

As the word suggests, the word hardware usually refers to tools used to build something — “wares” that are “hard.” It also is used to refer to the computer equipment that stores and uses “software,” the programs used in computing. The word hardware dates back to the early 16th Century, where it was used to indicate such items as tools and weapons. Nowadays, that meaning holds, with hardware stores traditionally specializing mainly in materials and tools for building and repairs. The military use of the word has also remained, referring to major weapons such as tanks and missiles. However, since 1947, the word hardware has also taken on an ironically softer meaning — that of the components of a computer system.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

hardware

David Bennett, chief executive of Japanese sovereign AI firm ai&, says the transition to application-specific hardware is the industry’s defining trend.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026

Much of that additional mass comes from the hardware required for complete reusability, including heat shield tiles, landing propellant, structural reinforcements, and other recovery systems.

From Science Daily ● Jul. 11, 2026

"OpenAI's nascent hardware business now rests on the shakiest of foundations, rotten to its core by its illegal reliance on misappropriated trade secrets," the complaint said.

From Barron's ● Jul. 10, 2026

Apple accused all of the parties it was suing of "acting in concert and as an enterprise, exploiting Apple's confidential information to advance OpenAI's efforts to enter the consumer hardware market".

From BBC ● Jul. 10, 2026

“Speaking of mice,” said Mr. Fitzgibbon, who had driven to town that afternoon, “there was quite a stir today at Henderson’s hardware store.”

From "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH" by Robert C. O'Brien

Related Words

• housewares
• plumbing