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

Once a facility is operational, NVIDIA says its DSX infrastructure and software can help customers optimise energy use and computing capacity. — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 22 Aug. 2026

The transaction includes roughly 100 million emails and 500 million Microsoft Teams messages—along with spreadsheets, calendars, software code and other internal business records. — Joshua Hong, Fortune, 21 Aug. 2026

The software converts PDFs into Word, Excel, PowerPoint, text, HTML, PNG, and JPG files. — Stackcommerce Team, PC Magazine, 21 Aug. 2026

These require new software for their driver monitoring system, which currently only uses a torque sensor on the steering wheel to determine if the driver is holding the wheel and remaining engaged in the task of driving. — Jonathan M. Gitlin, ArsTechnica, 21 Aug. 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