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shareware

American  
[shair-wair] / ˈʃɛərˌwɛər /

noun

Computers.

  1. software distributed without initial charge but for which the user is encouraged to pay a nominal fee to cover support for continued use.

shareware British  
/ ˈʃɛəˌwɛə /

noun

  1. computing software available to all users without the need for a licence and for which a token fee is requested

"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 shareware

share 1 + -ware

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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.

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