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
Robert BixbyExamples of software in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
For example, Google employees are typically software engineers and other professionals with high salaries.
—Literary Hub, 28 May 2026
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, 28 May 2026
Sanofi’s resistance to embracing agentic AI services sold by SaaS companies comes amid Wall Street’s bearish view on the software-as-a-service sector.
—John Kell, Fortune, 27 May 2026
Funding rounds across the AI stack, from foundation models and inference infrastructure to agentic software and autonomous systems, have become intensely oversubscribed.
—Truebridge Capital, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for software
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Literary Hub, 28 May 2026
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, 28 May 2026
Sanofi’s resistance to embracing agentic AI services sold by SaaS companies comes amid Wall Street’s bearish view on the software-as-a-service sector.
—John Kell, Fortune, 27 May 2026
Funding rounds across the AI stack, from foundation models and inference infrastructure to agentic software and autonomous systems, have become intensely oversubscribed.
—Truebridge Capital, Forbes.com, 27 May 2026
See All Example Sentences for software
Cite this Entry
“Software.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/software. Accessed 28 May. 2026.
Copy CitationKids Definition
software
noun
soft·ware
ˈsȯf-ˌtwa(ə)r
-ˌtwe(ə)r
: the programs and related information used by a computer
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