hardware
/ˈhɑːdwɛː
/noun [mass noun]
1Tools, machinery, and other durable equipment: high-tech military hardware...
- The reliability of military equipment and hardware is also on a steady decline.
- Global politics shift, military hardware and strategies are tried and tested and new forms of protest emerge.
- Yet for all the talk of military hardware and holy war, little time is devoted to what happens if it goes wrong.
Synonyms
equipment, apparatus, gear, paraphernalia, tackle, kit, machinery;
tools, articles, implements, instruments, appliances, gadgets
informal stuff, things
British informal clubber, gubbins
rare equipage
1.1Tools, implements, and other items used in home life and activities such as gardening: available from DIY stores and hardware shops...
- They aren't expensive and are sold by DIY shops, hardware stores and locksmiths.
- Chris and her brother Jim run it alongside the grocery business, hardware store and fishing tackle shop.
- Retail products range from work wear and lawn and garden supplies to hardware and pet foods.
2The machines, wiring, and other physical components of a computer or other electronic system: select a software package that suits your requirements and buy the hardware to run it on...Compare with software.
- This avoids the complications that often result from putting old hardware into new equipment.
- The development and testing of the Alarm hardware was a lengthy and challenging process.
- It has put in - for free - Wi-Fi hardware equipment in a slew of hotels around Ireland.