mainframe
noun
a large computer, often the hub of a system serving many users.
mainframes
-
pluralof mainframe.plural
The grammatical form denoting more than one person, place, thing, or idea.
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.
While other tech giants spend on AI data centers, Big Blue aims to keep selling mainframes and pour profits into quantum computing.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 24, 2026
That unit was pulled down by lower-than-expected sales of data center mainframes, which fell 42%.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 22, 2026
However, Morningstar’s Yang explained that mainframes fall into a different class of hardware and process different workloads than hyperscaler servers do, for instance.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026
Moreover, IBM’s software business drives demand for its consulting services and mainframes, creating a powerful growth cycle that Wall Street is overlooking, Essex contended.
From Barron's ● Jun. 23, 2026
Computers up to that point had been the massive, expensive mainframes of the sort sitting in the white expanse of the Michigan Computer Center.
From "Outliers" by Malcolm Gladwell
