malware

noun

mal·​ware ˈmal-ˌwer 

: software designed to interfere with a computer's normal functioning

Examples of malware in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The upshot of all this is that ClickFix is a highly effective and efficient means of spreading all sorts of malware. — Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 11 Sep. 2026

The attackers also used AI systems to monitor whether their malware had been detected. — Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 10 Sep. 2026

The company detected the problem when the new hire’s workstation began loading malware. — Michael Engle, Forbes.com, 10 Sep. 2026

That includes Memory Integrity protection, which uses hardware-dependent methods to prevent malware from infecting OS processes. — Chris Hoffman, PC Magazine, 9 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

malicious + -ware (as in software)

First Known Use

1990, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for malware

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

Kids Definition

malware

noun

ˈmal-ˌwer 

: software designed to interfere with a computer's normal functioning

Legal Definition

malware

noun

mal·​ware ˈmal-ˌwer 

: software that is designed to interfere with a computer's normal functioning and that can be used to commit cybercrime (as by revealing passwords, PINs, and other sensitive data)

Etymology

mal- bad + software