mainframe

noun

main·​frame ˈmān-ˌfrām How to pronounce mainframe (audio)
1
: a large, powerful computer that can handle many tasks concurrently and is usually used commercially
… the million-dollar mainframe computers that took up entire floors of corporate premises …John Derbyshire
2
dated : a computer with its cabinet and internal circuits especially when considered separately from any peripherals connected to the computer

Examples of mainframe in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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Its infrastructure revenue was down 7%, to $3.04 billion, ahead of the 2025 release of a new mainframe. Byandrew Nusca, Fortune, 24 Oct. 2024 The mainframe computer, the personal computer, the Internet, data science, machine learning, and large language models have made possible astounding advances in scientific research, communication, education, public health, and a thousand other realms of human endeavor. Jill Lepore, The New Yorker, 4 Nov. 2024 There’s also the sort of correlative idea that modern mainframes can be useful in hosting LLMs and related systems. John Werner, Forbes, 6 Oct. 2024 Clients are looking forward to new mainframe computer in the first half of 2025, Kavanaugh told Mody. Jordan Novet, CNBC, 23 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for mainframe 

Word History

First Known Use

1957, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Time Traveler
The first known use of mainframe was in 1957

Dictionary Entries Near mainframe

Cite this Entry

“Mainframe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mainframe. Accessed 7 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

mainframe

noun
main·​frame ˈmān-ˌfrām How to pronounce mainframe (audio)
: a large fast computer that can do many jobs at once

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