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Synonyms

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

Compare meaning

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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.

The company was built on a shareware model, encouraging users to download antiviral software for free and pay later.

From Los Angeles Times • Jun. 23, 2021

Our experience was more consuming shareware, you know, games where it was “try before you buy.”

From The Verge • Mar. 16, 2021

This strategy of giving the software away for free, like with shareware back in the day, let the Unreal Engine spread far and fast.

From Slate • Jun. 16, 2020

Mr. Rampell, 34, has founded or co-founded seven start-ups, by Mr. Andreesen’s count, including the shareware software Mr. Rampell wrote in 1996 as a high-school student, AlwaysOnline.

From New York Times • Aug. 19, 2015

In addition to collaborating on the company’s games, he masterminded all of their early marketing campaigns and shareware distribution schemes, with astounding results.

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline

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.