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  • MS DOS
    MS DOS
    an operating system for personal computers, originally developed by Microsoft for IBM computers.
  • MS-DOS
    MS-DOS
    noun
    computing a type of disk operating system
Synonyms

MS DOS

American  
[em-es daws, -dos] / ˈɛmˌɛs ˈdɔs, -ˈdɒs /
Or MS-DOS
Trademark.
  1. an operating system for personal computers, originally developed by Microsoft for IBM computers.


MS-DOS British  
/ ɛmˈɛsˈdɒs /

noun

  1. computing a type of disk operating system

"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

Etymology

Origin of MS-DOS

C20: from M ( icro ) s ( oft ), the company that developed it, + DOS


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:

The smart move was that Gates gave IBM a really cheap deal but retained the right to sell the software to IBM's rivals as Microsoft MS DOS.

From BBC ● Feb. 5, 2014

The Xerox software is MS DOS based and utilizes off-the shelf programs such as Microsoft Windows and Wang Image Wizard.

From Library of Congress Workshop on Etexts by Library of Congress

But IBM did license its MS-DOS operating system for the 1981 PC, figuring it might sell 200,000 units over the life of the product.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 18, 2026

As one technologist told me this week, prompting is something you did on MS-DOS.

From Slate ● Sep. 23, 2023

Microsoft and Apple have their own disk formatting systems, but Apple can read MS-DOS, while Windows cannot read any Apple file systems.

From Washington Post ● Jul. 30, 2021

Released on Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64 and MS-DOS, it made use of Spider-Man’s web-swinging ability, and had some amusing character animations, but it effectively served as an uninspired sequel to Doctor Doom’s Revenge!

From The Verge ● Aug. 31, 2018

Our example assumes that you have an MS-DOS computer.

From The Online World by Odd De Presno

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