hardware

noun

hard·ware | \ ˈhärd-ˌwer

Definition of hardware

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

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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

Do-it-yourself soil test kits are sold at garden shops, home centers and hardware stores. — Joseph Truini, Popular Mechanics, "How to Get Rid of Lawn Weeds," 19 Apr. 2019 This not only helps protect more delicate fabrics from abrasion and snagging on hardware, but shields dark colors from wear and tear that can cause fading, says Forte. — Brigitt Earley, Good Housekeeping, "A Laundry Expert's 8 Biggest Dos and Don'ts," 8 Feb. 2019 Stall dividers are hung from the ceiling rather than bolted to the floor—easier to clean the floor that way, and there isn’t hardware to rust on the floor. — Scott Mccartney, WSJ, "Airports Try Stall Tactic: Better Bathrooms," 2 Jan. 2019 For video playback, there's hardware accelerated h.265 and VP9 decoding, which should help a lot with apps like YouTube. — Ron Amadeo, Ars Technica, "Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 855 is official, coming to Android flagships in 2019," 6 Dec. 2018 This could be hardware that brings Cortana more into an office or home environment. — Tom Warren, The Verge, "Microsoft will reportedly release a Surface Studio monitor in 2020," 29 Nov. 2018 When choosing frameless glass shower doors, there are several hardware, hinges and handle finishes and style options to choose from. — Stacy Argo, Houston Chronicle, "Sleek, modern shower doors provide streamlined look," 8 July 2018 There were two feed stores; there was a farmer’s hardware. — Jordan Runtagh, PEOPLE.com, "The B-52s at 40: An Oral History of Their Awesomely Bizarre Beach Party Breakthrough 'Rock Lobster'," 29 May 2018 The new jobs will be in areas such as software and hardware engineering, research science and cloud computing. — Kimberly Chin, WSJ, "Amazon to Expand Tech Hub in Austin," 28 Mar. 2019

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