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

However, those deployments do not establish how the latest hardware will perform on the lunar surface. — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 21 Oct. 2026

Microsoft’s Advanced Shader Delivery works by offloading shader compilation for different hardware combinations to the cloud. — Tom Warren, The Verge, 21 Oct. 2026

Musk reportedly ordered a slowdown of the military-grade Starlink service used by Ukraine, limiting the speeds at which connected hardware could travel and rendering some offensive and interceptor drones largely ineffective. — Lim Hui Jie, CNBC, 21 Oct. 2026

Think sculptural chain links and spherical hardware that make more of a statement, all designed to be layered and mixed. — Christian Allaire, Vogue, 21 Oct. 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