Meanings
noundevice driver (plural device drivers)
plural device drivers
- computingSoftware, usually supplied with the operating system or by a hardware manufacturer, that communicates between the operating system of a personal computer and a specific hardware device.
The identity of the device driver process is returned by the process manager to the file manager[…]
1978, Dennis M. Ritchie, Unix Time-Sharing System, page 2064
Synonyms & antonyms
noun(computer science) a program that determines how a computer will communicate with a peripheral device
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Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Translations
Catalan controlador de dispositiu
- controlador de dispositiusoftware that communicates between operating system and hardware
Chinese Mandarin 驅動程序 /驱动程序
- 驅動程序 /驱动程序 (qūdòng chéngxù)software that communicates between operating system and hardware
Dutch stuurprogramma
- stuurprogrammasoftware that communicates between operating system and hardware
Esperanto pelilo
- pelilosoftware that communicates between operating system and hardware
Finnish laiteajuri, ajuri
- laiteajurisoftware that communicates between operating system and hardware
- ajurisoftware that communicates between operating system and hardware
- laiteohjainsoftware that communicates between operating system and hardware
French pilote informatique, pilote
- pilote informatiquesoftware that communicates between operating system and hardware
- pilotesoftware that communicates between operating system and hardware
German Gerätetreiber, Treiber
- Gerätetreibersoftware that communicates between operating system and hardware
- Treibersoftware that communicates between operating system and hardware
Indonesian pengandar peranti, pengandar perangkat
- pengandar perantisoftware that communicates between operating system and hardware
- pengandar perangkatsoftware that communicates between operating system and hardware
Japanese ドライバー, デバイスドライバ
- ドライバー (doraibā)software that communicates between operating system and hardware
- デバイスドライバ (debaisu doraiba)software that communicates between operating system and hardware
Malay pemacu peranti
- pemacu perantisoftware that communicates between operating system and hardware
Polish sterownik urządzenia
- sterownik urządzeniasoftware that communicates between operating system and hardware
Portuguese driver
- driversoftware that communicates between operating system and hardware
Russian дра́йвер
- дра́йвер (drájver)software that communicates between operating system and hardware
Spanish manejador de dispositivo
- manejador de dispositivosoftware that communicates between operating system and hardware
Swedish drivrutin
- drivrutinsoftware that communicates between operating system and hardware
Cite this entry
APA
device driver. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/device%20driver
MLA
“device driver.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/device%20driver. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “device driver,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/device%20driver.
Source: device driver on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.