mainframe
Americannoun
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mainframes
plural
noun
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a high-speed general-purpose computer, usually with a large storage capacity
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( as modifier )
mainframe systems
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the central processing unit of a computer
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A large, often powerful computer, usually dedicated to lengthy, complex calculations or set up for use by many people simultaneously.
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Compare personal computer
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of mainframe
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Vocabulary lists containing mainframe
Computer Science and Technology - Middle School
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Computer Science and Technology - High School
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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.
See Examples For:
He used his army of consultants to help clients navigate AI while positioning the company to milk its legacy mainframe and software businesses and to offer more tailored AI products.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 18, 2026
The problem was the launch of the z17 mainframe program, which the company expected to be wrapping up during the second quarter.
From MarketWatch ● Jul. 14, 2026
Sales of the z17, the company’s flagship enterprise mainframe designed for the AI age, fell short of its expectations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026
“It was a shot to the heart and the chest and the mainframe with Luka,” James told reporters.
From Los Angeles Times ● Apr. 9, 2026
I used the code that listed Detective Barrone’s call to my father to wiggle into the Division of Detectives mainframe.
From "Burning Blue" by Paul Griffin
IBM lowered its growth outlook after sales of data center mainframes sank 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
Before the mid-1970s, computers were hulking mainframes housed in climate-controlled rooms, accessible mainly to governments and large corporations.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 24, 2026
The infrastructure division, which includes IBM’s mainframes, reported revenue of $3.3 billion, which was just ahead of the $3.1 billion FactSet consensus and represented growth of 15% from the previous year.
From MarketWatch ● Apr. 22, 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
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.
