Linux
an operating system, based on UNIX, that runs on many different hardware platforms and whose source code is available to the public.
Linux
American
[lin-uhks, lin-ooks]
/ ˈlɪn əks, ˈlɪn ʊks /
Computers, Trademark.
linux
British
/ ˈlaɪnʌks /
noun
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.
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
“A competent security researcher could go their whole life without finding a Linux kernel vulnerability,” Carlini said.
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
Networking giants Cisco and Broadcom are taking part in the project, along with the Linux Foundation that promotes the free, open-source Linux computer operating system.
From Barron's ● Apr. 7, 2026
At the moment, he had NT 5, NT 4, Work Station, Windows 98, and he and Eric had begun fooling around with Linux, the complex, open-source software system rapidly spreading across the world.
From "Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho" by Jon Katz
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
