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mainframe

American  
[meyn-freym] / ˈmeɪnˌfreɪm /

noun

Computers.

  1. a large computer, often the hub of a system serving many users.

mainframe British  
/ ˈmeɪnˌfreɪm /

noun

    1. a high-speed general-purpose computer, usually with a large storage capacity

    2. ( as modifier )

      mainframe systems

  2. the central processing unit of a computer

"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
mainframe Scientific  
/ mān′frām′ /

  1. A large, often powerful computer, usually dedicated to lengthy, complex calculations or set up for use by many people simultaneously.

  2. Compare personal computer

mainframe Cultural  

  1. A large, powerful computer system. A mainframe computer typically carries out complex calculations and is shared by many users. (Compare personal computer.)

Etymology

Origin of mainframe

First recorded in 1960–65; main 1 + frame

Compare meaning

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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.

Lou Gerstner was the first outsider to take the helm at IBM, the storied firm that once looked so dominant in computer mainframes that the Justice Department spent foolish years trying to break it up.

From The Wall Street Journal

The hidebound company, overly reliant on mainframe computers, had been out-hustled by nimbler makers of desktop computers and software.

From The Wall Street Journal

In the 1940s, it shifted from mechanical accounting machines and punch-card systems to electronic, stored-program computers and mainframes.

From Barron's

The storied tech behemoth, best known as a leader in mainframe computers, conducts quantum research and development under its IBM Research division—which also undertakes work in artificial intelligence and cloud computing.

From Barron's

He said a breakthrough could also allow small manufacturers to flourish in the same way that personal computers brought mainframe power to the masses.

From The Wall Street Journal

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.