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

Palantir said last week that home improvement retailer Lowe’s was already incorporating this into its tech stack, but the software company declined on Monday to share other companies that had rolled that out. —Jessica Mathews, Fortune, 4 Nov. 2025

Tech-first car start-ups such as Tesla and Rivian have never offered CarPlay; the latter argues its own systems are better without the software. —Patrick George, The Atlantic, 3 Nov. 2025

Its software allows users to upload images, videos, audio, or text to detect whether the content was created by artificial intelligence. —Matt Emma, USA Today, 3 Nov. 2025

Out with the clunky old 20th-century contractors making fighter jets, say Democrats and Republicans alike — and in with the venture-backed, slickly marketed, innovative new companies selling the silent drones, surveillance software, and cheap missiles of 21st-century combat. —Ben Smith, semafor.com, 3 Nov. 2025

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