hardware

noun

hard·​ware ˈhärd-ˌwer 

1

: ware (such as fittings, cutlery, tools, utensils, or parts of machines) made of metal

2

: major items of equipment or their components used for a particular purpose

educational hardware

: such as

a

: military equipment

b

: the physical components (such as electronic and electrical devices) of a vehicle (such as a spacecraft) or an apparatus (such as a computer)

3

: an award (such as a trophy, medal, or cup) given in a sports competition

Synonyms of hardware

• equipment
• gear
• apparatus

Examples of hardware in a Sentence

She bought some new hardware for her system.

gathered together the hardware needed to set up a first aid station at the finish line for the marathon

Recent Examples on the Web

Organizations need the ability to run AI workloads at scale while retaining the freedom to deploy across different hardware and environments. — Harsha Kotikela, Forbes.com, 1 July 2026

In this case, customers would bring their own software and run it on Meta’s hardware. — Paulina Likos, CNBC, 1 July 2026

Consider Hardware Finishes The biggest impact in your kitchen can come from something as small as your cabinet's hardware. — Shagun Khare, The Spruce, 1 July 2026

At Ace Hardware, two of the five Chicago founders who built the world’s largest hardware cooperative were the sons of German and Swiss immigrants respectively. — Catherina Gioino, Fortune, 1 July 2026

Word History

First Known Use

15th century, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Phrases Containing hardware

• hardware cloth

Rhymes for hardware

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

Kids Definition

hardware

noun

hard·​ware ˈhär-ˌdwa(ə)r 

-ˌdwe(ə)r

1

: articles (as fittings, cutlery, tools, utensils, or parts of machines) made of metal

2

: the equipment used for a particular purpose

computer hardware

military hardware