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

During an election in Gujarat state, the party used software written in Python code that could hijack WhatsApp’s web interface to spread attack ads to tens of thousands of recipients with just a few clicks, according to an internal presentation seen by The Post. —Gerry Shih, Washington Post, 27 Sep. 2023

The studios cannot require a writer to use AI software. —Matthew Rodriguez, CBS News, 26 Sep. 2023

If the physical server farms that host A.I. programs were attacked, the software could simply be hosted elsewhere. —Kyle Chayka, The New Yorker, 26 Sep. 2023

Refuse to pick a location, however, and the installer won't know what software to install. —WIRED, 25 Sep. 2023

The voting software company claimed it was damaged by Fox News repeatedly presenting President Trump’s false charges of fraud in the 2020 election. —Stephen Battaglio, Los Angeles Times, 21 Sep. 2023

As does the aforementioned radar-adaptive cruise control and blind-spot detection software. —Peter Jackson, Robb Report, 20 Sep. 2023

Navigating the software takes some getting used to. —PCMAG, 15 Sep. 2023

The live-action scenes were then composited together using Photoshop, and set extensions were completed with Maya software. —Etan Vlessing, The Hollywood Reporter, 15 Sep. 2023

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Word History

First Known Use

1958, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

software

noun

soft·​ware ˈsȯf-ˌtwa(ə)r 

-ˌtwe(ə)r

: the programs and related information used by a computer