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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Performance issues, such as slow search and unresponsive user interfaces, have not gone away, despite the company’s heavy investment in infrastructure and optimization. Victor Dey, Forbes.com, 29 Jan. 2026 Claude Cowork aims to bring Claude Code’s agentic capabilities to a broader audience by supplying it with a friendlier user interface and hiding some of the complexity that has made Claude Code daunting to the uninitiated. Nikita Ostrovsky, Time, 15 Jan. 2026 In this car, even the electronic user interface was customized, and a special perfumed scent was created to diffuse through the interior. Peter Valdes-Dapena, CNN Money, 6 Jan. 2026 At the time, most of our research focused on how people liked user interfaces in cars, navigation systems and similar features. Georgina Jedikovska, Interesting Engineering, 25 Dec. 2025 See All Example Sentences for user interface

Word History

First Known Use

1967, in the meaning defined above

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

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Cite this Entry

“User interface.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/user%20interface. Accessed 1 Feb. 2026.

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
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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