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malware

[ mal-wair ]
/ ˈmƦlˌwɛər /
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noun Digital Technology.
software intended to damage a computer, mobile device, computer system, or computer network, or to take partial control over its operation: tips on finding and removing viruses, spyware, and other malware.
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Origin of malware

First recorded in 1990–95; mal(icious) + -ware
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, Ā© Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use malware in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for malware

malware
/ (ˈmƦlwɛə) /

noun
a computer program designed specifically to damage or disrupt a system, such as a virus

Word Origin for malware

C20: from mal (icious) + (soft) ware
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition Ā© William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 Ā© HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

Scientific definitions for malware

malware
[ măl′wĆ¢r′ ]

Software that is written and distributed for malicious purposes, such as impairing or destroying computer systems. Computer viruses are malware.
The American HeritageĀ® Science Dictionary Copyright Ā© 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.
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