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

The human operating system was designed around resilience: our experience, and our ability to adapt and learn, completes the picture and creates human development. —Chris Westfall, Forbes.com, 26 May 2025

With just two weeks to WWDC 2025, Bloomberg’s Mark Gurman reports that the UI overhaul will be applied to all of Apple’s operating systems, not just iOS or macOS. —Jibin Joseph, PC Magazine, 26 May 2025

The current version of SteamOS launched with more modest aims as the first-party operating system for a single piece of hardware. —Andrew Cunningham, ArsTechnica, 23 May 2025

The Meta Ray-Bans and upcoming glasses running the Android operating system benefit from the strength of Meta’s Llama and Google’s Gemini artificial intelligence platforms. —Bloomberg, Mercury News, 23 May 2025

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)