software

noun

soft·ware | \ˈsȯft-ˌwer

Definition of software

: 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

Because the key was identical for all installations of the software, hackers could use the root certificate to generate forged TLS certificates that impersonated any HTTPS website on the Internet. — Dan Goodin, Ars Technica, "Sennheiser discloses monumental blunder that cripples HTTPS on PCs and Macs," 28 Nov. 2018 Doctors and nurses enter patient information, including age, length of stay and admission date, into the software, and an animated map shows where patients are coming from and when. — Mallory Locklear, Discover Magazine, "With Big Data and Predictive Analytics, Scientists Are Getting Smarter About Outbreaks," 8 Nov. 2018 But concerns about Chinese infiltration of software and hardware are not new in U.S. security circles. — Jon Talton, The Seattle Times, "Beijing’s ‘Trojan chips’ present a risk to more than corporations," 9 Oct. 2018 To understand the meaning of the Houses in your own life, calculate your birth chart by simply plugging your time, date, and location of birth into astrology software, like what Astro.com offers](https://www.astro.com/), and follow along below. — Aliza Kelly Faragher, Allure, "The 12 Astrological Houses: Interpreting Your Birth Chart Beyond the Zodiac," 6 Oct. 2018 But a series of contests spurred the development of software and hardware that have brought us to dawn of the next automotive revolution. — Jack Stewart, WIRED, "Mercedes Will Launch Self-Driving Taxis in California Next Year," 10 July 2018 His analysis followed development of computer software by mathematician Jon Harman. — Diane Bell, sandiegouniontribune.com, "Discovery of hidden drawings puts Poway Native American art in a class of its own," 9 July 2018 Though some go dormant for years at a time, the most active of these accounts tweet hundreds of times a day with the help of automation software, a tactic that can drown out authentic voices and warp online political discourse, critics say. — Craig Timberg And Elizabeth Dwoskin, chicagotribune.com, "Twitter is sweeping out fake accounts like never before, putting user growth at risk," 7 July 2018 Many of those states want to upgrade to a more secure voting system that would use paper ballots that can be hand-counted if there is a suspected breach or failure of tabulation software. — Warren Richey, The Christian Science Monitor, "Ahead of midterms, states scrambling to fend off cyberattacks," 3 July 2018

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'software.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.