definitions

software

[ sawft-wair, soft- ]
/ ˈsɔftˌwɛər, ˈsɒft- /
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SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR software ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Computers. the programs used to direct the operation of a computer, as well as documentation giving instructions on how to use them.Compare hardware(def 5).
anything that is not hardware but is used with hardware, especially audiovisual materials, as film, tapes, records, etc.: a studio fully equipped but lacking software.
Television Slang. prepackaged materials, as movies or reruns, used to fill out the major part of a station's program schedule.

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RELATED WORDS

program, spreadsheet, freeware, groupware, shareware, courseware, vaporware

Nearby words

softish, softkey, softly-softly, softness, softs, software, software house, software platform, softwood, softy, sogat

Origin of software

First recorded in 1955–60; soft + ware1
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for software

British Dictionary definitions for software

software

/ (ˈsɒftˌwɛə) /

noun

computing the programs that can be used with a particular computer systemCompare hardware (def. 2)
video cassettes and discs for use with a particular video 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

Science definitions for software

software

[ sôft′wâr′ ]

The programs, programming languages, and data that direct the operations of a computer system. Word processing programs and Internet browsers are examples of software. Compare hardware.
The American Heritage® Science Dictionary Copyright © 2011. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

Culture definitions for software

software

The programs and instructions that run a computer, as opposed to the actual physical machinery and devices that compose the hardware.

The New Dictionary of Cultural Literacy, Third Edition Copyright © 2005 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.