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

OpenAI is seemingly taking a very different approach to the one its rival Anthropic has taken with Mythos, a model that sent shock waves through cybersecurity circles for its ability to identify and exploit software vulnerabilities. —Hadas Gold, CNN Money, 29 Apr. 2026

But in software engineering, there’s a bit more pliability with the permissions granted to an AI agent, because there’s a validation layer to check and correct any errors those autonomous systems could generate. —John Kell, Fortune, 29 Apr. 2026

Anthropic may be more of an enterprise software company and OpenAI a hybrid enterprise-consumer company now, but even that could change. —Reed Albergotti, semafor.com, 29 Apr. 2026

This setup helps align mechanical systems, sensors, and software before field use. —Aamir Khollam, Interesting Engineering, 29 Apr. 2026

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