user interface

noun

plural user interfaces

: software that is designed to allow a computer user to interact with the operating system of a machine or system (such as by selecting presented options or entering text commands)

Likewise, the user interface is remarkably unintuitive, requiring a whirlwind of relentless mouse clicking to move, talk, touch, look, or manipulate onscreen objects.

—Scott A. May

… a new user interface he vows will change the way people use computers.

—InfoWorld

especially : graphical user interface

—abbreviation UI

Examples of user interface in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Most smart watches offer some sort of health tracking, but Garmin’s user interface and its ability to give your training status and sleep status a numerical score is what sets it apart for me. —Graham Averill, Outside, 12 Nov. 2025

The user interface screen is embedded directly in the steering wheel. —New Atlas, 29 Oct. 2025

The concept is a console user interface for straightforward play, with Windows available underneath for broader software support, additional storefronts and a wider range of game types. —Alex Harrington, MSNBC Newsweek, 28 Oct. 2025

More generally, Jarrard points to how the user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) presentation has improved greatly in games in the years since that 2001 entry. —Nick Romano, Entertainment Weekly, 24 Oct. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1967, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for user interface

• asparaginase
• dehydrogenase
• lipoxygenase
• abase
• airspace
• apace
• backspace
• biface
• birthplace
• blackface
• boldface
• bookcase

Kids Definition

user interface

noun

: software that is designed to allow a computer user to interact with the operating system of a machine or system

especially : graphical user interface