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
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.
The script contained commands for destroying file systems on either Unix-like or Windows operating systems. Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 25 July 2025 Meta lost the race to control the operating systems for the mobile web era in the early 2000s and 2010s, which Apple and Google won. Clare Duffy, CNN Money, 25 July 2025 This version of the Apple mobile operating system is one of the biggest changes to the iPhone’s user interface design since 2013, when Apple’s iOS 7 introduced a new, flatter look. Kif Leswing, CNBC, 24 July 2025 Treating LLMs as a new kind of operating system can allow your specialized agents to run on them like applications. Anil Pantangi, Forbes.com, 24 July 2025 See All Example Sentences for operating system

Word History

First Known Use

1961, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of operating system was in 1961

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Cite this Entry

“Operating system.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/operating%20system. Accessed 29 Jul. 2025.

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)

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