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 Howe Yuan Zhu, one of the paper’s authors, describes acoustic touch as a user interface based on sensory-motor coupling. IEEE Spectrum, 1 Nov. 2023 But they’re rarely well curated and are often hidden in the user interfaces. Vulture, 27 Oct. 2023 Chatbots could also be used to put a new user interface on other sources of knowledge. WIRED, 26 Oct. 2023 The headset needed a different user interface for users to interact with it, and gestures give that control even when aface is covered by the hardware. Samantha Murphy Kelly, CNN, 20 Sep. 2023 Instantly elevate user interface efficiency with an OS that offers virtualization technology that prevents lagging. Stack Commerce, Popular Science, 27 July 2023 The remaining third is devoted to the user interface toolbox, which handles the display of windows, text editing, menus, and the like. IEEE Spectrum, 2 July 2023 The app itself features a fairly simple user interface. Jess Weatherbed, The Verge, 6 Oct. 2023 This view can be disabled for experienced creatives who prefer the look of the desktop version of Photoshop’s user interface. Jess Weatherbed, The Verge, 27 Sep. 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'user interface.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1967, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of user interface was in 1967

Dictionary Entries Near user interface

Cite this Entry

“User interface.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/user%20interface. Accessed 1 Dec. 2023.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!