operating system

noun

: software that controls the operation of a computer and directs the processing of programs (as by assigning storage space in memory and controlling input and output functions)

Examples of operating system in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Yet while consumers interact with AI through software, Apple deeply links its hardware with its apps, services and operating systems. —Lisa Eadicicco, CNN Money, 21 Apr. 2026

The secret sauce was the operating system. —Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 20 Apr. 2026

But Amazon hasn’t made this declaration so outrightly to consumers, many of whom are just now learning about Amazon’s commitment to its new, proprietary operating system (OS), Vega OS. —Eric Berger, ArsTechnica, 17 Apr. 2026

Anthropic has said Mythos has already detected thousands of severe vulnerabilities across every major operating system and web browser, some undetected for decades. —Beatrice Nolan, Fortune, 16 Apr. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1961, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for operating system

• cryptosystem
• ecosystem
• intersystem
• multisystem
• photosystem
• subsystem

Kids Definition

operating system

noun

: software that controls the operation of a computer and directs the processing of the user's programs (as by controlling input and output functions)