malware

noun

mal·​ware ˈmal-ˌwer How to pronounce malware (audio)
: software designed to interfere with a computer's normal functioning

Examples of malware in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
That download serves as the entry point for a sophisticated malware system. Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 1 Aug. 2025 If not, the malware uses a sophisticated process that spoofs a page at hxxp://timestamp.digicert[.]com/registered, which in turn sends the system a second-stage payload in the form of a VBScript. Ashley Belanger, ArsTechnica, 31 July 2025 The Russian state hacker group known as Turla has carried out some of the most innovative hacking feats in the history of cyberespionage, hiding their malware's communications in satellite connections or hijacking other hackers' operations to cloak their own data extraction. Andy Greenberg, Wired News, 31 July 2025 Overlay malware presents a fake screen to you while hiding a real app’s UI in the background. Zak Doffman, Forbes.com, 30 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for malware

Word History

Etymology

malicious + -ware (as in software)

First Known Use

1990, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of malware was in 1990

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Malware.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/malware. Accessed 8 Aug. 2025.

Kids Definition

malware

noun
ˈmal-ˌwer
: software designed to interfere with a computer's normal functioning

Legal Definition

malware

noun
mal·​ware ˈmal-ˌwer How to pronounce malware (audio)
: software that is designed to interfere with a computer's normal functioning and that can be used to commit cybercrime (as by revealing passwords, PINs, and other sensitive data)
Etymology

mal- bad + software

More from Merriam-Webster on malware

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!