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Glite Dictionary
💻 Physical computer parts 🔧 Tools and equipment 🪖 Weapons and vehicles
hardware

hardware

206 2.7
Physical parts of a computer, like the screen or keyboard
  • noun
  • /ˈhɑːrdˌwɛr/
  • Specialized
translation icon : hardware
  • The machines providing the necessary hardware support are the G5 and its successors.
  • hardware and software
  • computer hardware
  • hardware components

The things you can do with that hardware are still quite limited.

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Examples

  • OK, the last major piece of hardware here we have is the new iMac.

  • Robots are complex systems that rely on software, hardware, and mechanical systems all working together, Arena said.

    Academic text (2008)

  • How does Apple always manage to make hardware look so pretty?

  • The things you can do with that hardware are still quite limited.

    Chris Williamson

  • And the team was certain that it was a hardware issue.

    Finch (2021)

  • It's not in the software, it's in the hardware.

    Paycheck (2003)

  • The hardware wasn't really designed for games at that point.

    Here Comes a New Challenger (2023)

  • The university provided the hardware, and students downloaded and owned whatever apps they found most useful.

    Academic text (2013)

  • As inexorable trends create ever more powerful hardware, it's not surprising that much of it remains seriously underutilized.

    Academic text (2012)

  • The technician installed new hardware to improve the computer's performance.

Synonyms

computer hardware
vshardware
  • Specialized
4 2.6

The parts of a computer like the processor, memory and drives

focuses on physical parts as opposed to software

Antonyms

software
  • Specialized
942 2.5

Programs that tell a computer what to do

Compounds

hardware store
  • US
100 1.0

A shop that sells tools and supplies for home repair

computer hardware
  • Specialized
4 2.6

The parts of a computer like the processor, memory and drives

hardware error
  • Specialized
3.4

A problem caused by a broken part inside a computer

How Complex

computer system
  • Specialized
69 2.8
assembly
  • Specialized
112 3.9
hardware
  • Specialized
206 2.7
connector
  • Specialized
37 3.7
component
447 3.4

Surface Forms

hardware singular
hardwares plural

Morphology

hardware = hard + ware (semi-transparent) = hard + ware

Technical/metaphorical extension to denote physical components of a computer; related to 'goods/components' but domain-specific and may not be fully predictable from the parts alone.

Etymology

Hardware comes from hard ('solid') and ware ('goods'), and the word was later used for the physical parts of a computer as a contrast to programs. So computer hardware means the 'hard' parts like the screen, keyboard, and circuits, not the software.