software

noun

soft·​ware ˈsȯft-ˌwer 

: something used or associated with and usually contrasted with hardware: such as

a

: programs for a computer

accounting software

b

dated : the entire set of programs, procedures, and related documentation associated with a mechanical or electronic system and especially a computer system

c

: materials for use with audiovisual equipment

… television programs, music, and movies are now called software, by the way …

—Robert Bixby

Examples of software in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

That echoed the actions of his father, who in 2024 announced plans to switch the headquarters of his software behemoth Oracle to Nashville from Austin, Texas. — Meg James, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2026

Earlier this year, the court migrated off Microsoft products onto a German software provider, according to three ICC staff members who were not authorized to speak on the record. — ABC News, 21 Sep. 2026

All three phones feature OLED displays, silicon-carbon batteries between 6,510mAh and 8,000mAh in size, and run on Vivo’s OriginOS 7 software. — Dominic Preston, The Verge, 21 Sep. 2026

Wait a minute — didn’t the novelty of using powerful modeling software to make crazy new forms fade away years ago? — Sam Lubell, Curbed, 21 Sep. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1958, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing software

• software as a service

Rhymes for software

• abwehr
• affair
• affaire
• airfare
• altair
• armchair
• aware
• beware
• bugbear
• carfare
• childcare
• compare

Kids Definition

software

noun

soft·​ware ˈsȯf-ˌtwa(ə)r 

-ˌtwe(ə)r

: the programs and related information used by a computer