desktop

noun

desk·top | \ ˈdesk-ˌtäp

Definition of desktop

(Entry 1 of 2)

1 : the top surface of a desk also : an area or window on a computer screen in which icons are arranged in a manner analogous to objects on top of a desk

2 : a desktop computer

desktop

adjective

Definition of desktop (Entry 2 of 2)

: of a size that can be conveniently used on a desk or table desktop computers — compare laptop — see also desktop publishing

Examples of desktop in a Sentence

Noun

The desktop was covered with books and stacks of papers. He created a new folder on his desktop.

Adjective

She is working on a desktop video project.

Recent Examples on the Web: Noun

During the same period, the share of smartphone users who say a desktop, laptop or tablet computer is their primary device for going online has fallen from 53% in 2013 to 30% today. — Edward Baig, USA TODAY, "How do you go online? More of you are choosing phone over home broadband, Pew survey says," 13 June 2019 Older desktop machines sat monitors higher up, either atop the machine itself, as the Apple II did, or in an all-in-one design, like my Mac SE. — Ian Bogost, The Atlantic, "I Wrote This on a 30-Year-Old Computer," 11 June 2019 Current papers can be kept in wall pockets or in a desktop file box. — Nicole Anzia, Houston Chronicle, "Everything has its place — and that place is not the floor," 7 June 2019 That's on top of the hefty price tag for its new Mac Pro desktop, which starts at $6,000, and a display monitor, the Pro Display XDR, a 32-inch 6K retina LCD display ($4,999). — Amy Woodyatt, CNN, "Apple monitor stand that costs more than an iPhone sparks online uproar," 5 June 2019 The monument is a digital archive of material accessible through desktops, mobile devices and an augmented reality app. — Madeline Fitzgerald, Time, "Google Celebrates 50 Years of LGBTQ Pride with 'Living Monument' to the Stonewall Riots," 4 June 2019 That's why Apple's decision to kill off iTunes after 18 years as a staple on Mac and PC desktops around the world felt to Galil like the end of an era. — Daniel Arkin, NBC News, "Apple is nixing iTunes. The fans — and the haters — bid farewell.," 3 June 2019 The new app will allow users to connect an iPad—wired and wirelessly—to a Mac to use as an extended desktop, or even to control what’s on the computer. — Mike Murphy, Quartz, "Everything Apple announced at its WWDC 2019 developer conference," 3 June 2019 Services are the new focus for Apple, as iPhone sales continue to taper off, making the move to split up iTunes and deliver quality desktop apps more imperative than ever. — Micah Singleton, Billboard, "Apple Announces New Apple Music App, Replacing iTunes, at WWDC 2019," 3 June 2019

Recent Examples on the Web: Adjective

Buyers might be buying fewer desktops, as evidenced by the fact that desktop PC sales grew just 3 percent. — Mark Hachman, PCWorld, "Intel addresses processor shortages, CEO hunt after reporting disappointing fourth-quarter results," 24 Jan. 2019 Groupy is available for $4.99 on its own or as part of Stardock’s Object Desktop, which also gives you the Fences utility to help organize your desktop icons. — Tom Warren, The Verge, "The 9 best apps for your new Windows PC," 27 Dec. 2018 The desktop version of Chrome 71 is available now, and versions for Android and Chrome OS will be coming in the next few weeks. — Dani Deahl, The Verge, "Google releases Chrome 71 with features to block abusive ads," 5 Dec. 2018 Another issue: The participants in the study were using a desktop version of the app in a computer in the clinic—not on their own phones and on their own time. — Carolyn L. Todd, SELF, "The FDA Thinks This App Could Help People With Opioid Use Disorder Stay in Recovery," 17 Dec. 2018 The games will be available on @adidasFballUS on both mobile and desktop devices, and will be accompanied by a Twitter timeline with additional coverage and tweets. — Andrew Liptak, The Verge, "Adidas is partnering with Twitter to stream high school football games," 19 Aug. 2018 For anyone rocking a desktop PC, a new graphics card could be in order. — Ian Paul, PCWorld, "The 5 best deals in Newegg's Early Black Friday Sale," 2 Nov. 2018 Deals on various laptops, desktop PC, monitors, TVs, accessories, etc. — Ars Staff, Ars Technica, "Dealmaster: Memorial Day sales on TVs, laptops, and more are underway [Updated]," 28 May 2018 The third doesn’t exploit any vulnerability at all in Telegram, since (1) developers are clear the desktop version doesn’t provide secret chats and (2) the malware relies on the social engineering of a user. — Dan Goodin, Ars Technica, "It has been a bad week for encrypted messaging and it’s only Wednesday," 16 May 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'desktop.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.