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Glite Dictionary
CD drive

CD drive

1 2.7
A part of a computer or music player that reads CDs
  • noun
  • /siː diː draɪv/
translation icon : unidad de CD
  • You can also use a CD drive to play music CDs on your computer.
  • Open the CD drive

Examples

  • He gestured vaguely at the CD drive.

    Fiction book (2002)

  • Insert your Windows XP CD into the CD drive or DVD drive of the computer.

  • I don't need a fancy new CD drive to switch my disks for me.

    Blog text (14)

  • All computers have similar attributes such as a mouse, CD drive, key placements, visual characteristics, and operating systems.

    Academic text (2010)

  • How are we to recover from an operating system hiccup since there are no DVD or CD drives and no installation media to use to recover from an operating system error?

    Blog text (14)

  • When you compare an equivalent machine with equivalent hardware (that means the same front side bus and the same type of RAM and CD drive, etc.), the Mac is often equally priced.

    Blog text (2)

  • However, a good BIOS and USB ports are a must for it; that way, you can boot from a connected USB CD drive or a USB stick and install programs, unless it does come with a CD drive.

    Blog text (21)

  • However, a good BIOS and USB ports are a must for it; that way, you can boot from a connected USB CD drive or a USB stick and install programs, unless it does come with a CD drive.

    Blog text (21)

  • I know I sound old with all this, but I was 11 when I built my first machine (with old used parts), and I was 9 when I tore apart my old 486 to install a CD drive and the extra RAM, lol.

    Blog text (33)

  • Just as cars no longer have tape decks, computers may one day stop shipping with CD drives.

Synonyms

disk drive
vsCD drive
  • Specialized
6 3.5

A device in a computer that holds and spins a disk to read or write data

is narrower, mainly for reading optical discs in audio or computer devices
CD-ROM drive
vsCD drive
  • Archaic
2 3.7

A device in or connected to a computer that reads data from CDs

is used more widely, including audio equipment not only computer use

How Capable

CD burner
1 3.2
CD drive
1 2.7
CD player
42 1.5

Surface Forms

CD drive singular
CD drives plural

Morphology

CD + drive

The meaning is directly compositional: a 'CD drive' is literally a drive (device) for reading a CD. This noun–noun compound follows a common, cross-linguistic compounding pattern, so a B1 learner who knows both constituent words will readily infer the meaning.

Etymology

CD drive may come from older machines called 'disk drives'. A drive is the part that spins the CD so a small laser can 'read' the disc, so the name means the device that lets a computer use a CD.