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

OpenWorks’ software then fuses data from those sensors to improve detection accuracy and reduce operator workload. —Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 18 June 2026

Helios also comes with a software stack that abstracts its user’s intentions from the actual qubit hardware. —ArsTechnica, 17 June 2026

Instead of one scammer typing out sloppy messages from a laptop, this setup worked more like a criminal software business. —Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 17 June 2026

Given the scale of that restriction for a piece of globally available software, which would include some of Anthropic’s own employees, the San Francisco AI company opted to simply pull access to the tools worldwide. —Andrew Nusca, Fortune, 17 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1958, in the meaning defined above

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