Dictionary.com
Thesaurus.com
Jump To:
  • Linux
    Linux
    an operating system, based on UNIX, that runs on many different hardware platforms and whose source code is available to the public.
  • linux
    linux
    noun
    a nonproprietary computer operating system suitable for use on personal computers

Linux

American  
[lin-uhks, lin-ooks] / ˈlɪn əks, ˈlɪn ʊks /
Computers, Trademark.
  1. an operating system, based on UNIX, that runs on many different hardware platforms and whose source code is available to the public.


linux British  
/ ˈlaɪnʌks /

noun

  1. a nonproprietary computer operating system suitable for use on personal computers

"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

Etymology

Origin of Linux

First recorded in 1990–95; named after Linu(s) Benedict Torvalds (born 1969), Finnish software engineer + x as in UNIX ( def. )


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.

See Examples For:

Carlini reported the bug to the Linux team, which has now fixed it.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 17, 2026

Surfshark covers all the major platforms: Windows, macOS, Linux, iOS, Android, Fire TV and Apple TV.

From Salon ● Jun. 17, 2026

Then he demonstrated another in the Linux operating system—one of the most battle-tested pieces of software, which powers billions of devices.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 17, 2026

It was worth it, and footage from the event shows her looking happy and tired on stage as she successfully hacked into a Linux based system to win $50,000.

From BBC ● May 27, 2026

I’d begun writing for a new website, Slashdot.org, an intensely geeky techno/pop-culture site devoted to the open source Linux operating system and to the open source and free software movements.

From "Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho" by Jon Katz

Random Word

Spin the wheel and learn a new word!

Get a word

Vocabulary.com logo
by dictionary.com

Join 14,000,000 vocabulary learners

Start learning new words today on VocabTrainer.
You'll remember them forever.

Start training