Hardware Meaning
/ˈhɑɹdˌwɛɹ/Definition, CEFR level B2, pronunciation, examples, and quiz.
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Definition
nounFixtures, equipment, fasteners, tools, and devices used for general-purpose construction and repair of a structure or object. Also such equipment as sold as stock by a store of the same name, e.g. hardware store.
nounEquipment.
Sentence Examples
You will find this in a hardware store.
He deals in hardware.
We supply computer hardware to businesses.
Synonyms & Antonyms
Synonyms:
None
Antonyms:
CEFR Practice Quiz
He went to the store to buy computer ____ like a keyboard and a mouse.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
I need to go to the ____ store to buy some nails, screws, and a new light bulb.
Word Origin & History
From Middle English hardware; equivalent to hard + -ware; attested since the mid-15th century.
Literary Quotations & Historical Citations
"BOWEN: The monster trucks of Mars rovers, joke scientists, equipped with an array of sophisticated hardware to look for signs of water and answer scientists questions."
— 2003 June 6, “Mission to Mars”, in CBS_Rather:
"It is one thing to see an intercooler as a simple entry in a textbook, but to witness the actual hardware as it crawled down the road was awe-inspiring."
— 2009 May, Lee S. Langston, “plowing new ground.”, in Mechanical Engineering, volume 131, number 5, page 40:
"Smaller, turbocharged engines are one way to increase engine efficiency by 8 to 10 percent, but the extra hardware is expensive."
— 2011 January, “Swedish Sportster”, in Popular Mechanics, volume 188, number 1, page 27:
"Hardware is the generally accepted colloquism for anything inside a computer other than an engineer."
— 1952, R.L. Michaelson, “Binary Arithmetic”, in The Incorporated Statistician, volume 3, number 1 (Feb. 1952), pages 35–40:
Explore More B2 Vocabulary Words
CEFR Practice Quiz
He went to the store to buy computer ____ like a keyboard and a mouse.
CEFR Practice Quiz (Alternate)
I need to go to the ____ store to buy some nails, screws, and a new light bulb.