software

noun

soft·​ware ˈsȯft-ˌwer 

: something used or associated with and usually contrasted with hardware: such as

a

: programs for a computer

accounting software

b

dated : the entire set of programs, procedures, and related documentation associated with a mechanical or electronic system and especially a computer system

c

: materials for use with audiovisual equipment

… television programs, music, and movies are now called software, by the way …

—Robert Bixby

Examples of software in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

This article was generated by the Bay Area Home Report Bot, software that analyzes home sales or other data and creates an article based on a template created by humans. — Bay Area Home Report, Mercury News, 10 July 2026

Beyond lithium batteries The company said Bridge combines sodium-ion battery cells with integrated power conversion, battery management software, cabling and an energy management system for plant-level monitoring and control. — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 10 July 2026

One of the mandates of OBD2 was the ability to update factory ECU software via the port—this also gave tuners an easier way to work their magic. — Peter Nelson, ArsTechnica, 10 July 2026

The public beta is anticipated around July 13-14, signaling a smooth software development process. — David Phelan, Forbes.com, 10 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1958, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for software

• abwehr
• affair
• affaire
• airfare
• altair
• armchair
• aware
• beware
• bugbear
• carfare
• childcare
• compare

Kids Definition

software

noun

soft·​ware ˈsȯf-ˌtwa(ə)r 

-ˌtwe(ə)r

: the programs and related information used by a computer