flash drive

noun

A small, portable, nonvolatile storage device that uses flash memory and a USB interface to store, transport, and retrieve digital data.

Similar
data stickdisk on keyflash drive /flashdrivejump drive /jumpdrivekey drivememory drivememory stickpen drive /pendrive
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Meanings

nounflash drive (plural flash drives)

plural flash drives

  1. computer hardwareA small, portable, nonvolatile storage device that uses flash memory and a USB interface to store, transport, and retrieve digital data.

    Synonyms: data stick, disk on key, flash drive /flashdrive, jump drive /jumpdrive, key drive, memory drive, memory stick, pen drive /pendrive

Synonyms & antonyms

nounA small, portable, nonvolatile storage device that uses flash memory and a USB interface to store, transport, and retrieve digital data.

Similar
data stickdisk on keyflash drive /flashdrivejump drive /jumpdrivekey drivememory drivememory stickpen drive /pendrivethumb driveUSBUSB driveUSB keyUSB stick
Also see
data stickdisk on keykey drivememory driveusb keyusb stick

Origin

So called because it is a storage device that uses flash memory.

Full word history & related roots →

Translations

Arabic فِلَاشَة
  • فِلَاشَة (filāša)storage device
Bulgarian флашка
  • флашка (flaška)storage device
Catalan llapis de memòria
  • llapis de memòriastorage device
Chinese Cantonese 記憶體 /记忆体, 記憶棒 /记忆棒
  • 記憶體 /记忆体 (gei³ jik¹ tai²)storage device
  • 記憶棒 /记忆棒 (gei³ jik¹ paang⁵)storage device
  • 手指 (sau² zi²)storage device
Chinese Mandarin 快閃碟 /快闪碟, 閃盤 /闪盘
  • 快閃碟 /快闪碟 (kuàishǎndié)storage device
  • 閃盤 /闪盘 (shǎnpán)storage device
  • 優盤 /优盘 (yōupán)storage device
  • U盤 /U盘 (U-pán)storage device
  • 閃存盤 /闪存盘 (shǎncúnpán)storage device
  • 快閃記憶體盤 /快闪记忆体盘 (kuàishǎn jìyìtǐpán)storage device
  • 大拇哥 (dàmǔgē)storage device
  • 隨身碟 /随身碟 (suíshēndié)storage device
  • 快閃隨身碟 /快闪随身碟 (kuàishǎn suíshēndié)storage device
Czech flash disk, fleška
  • flash diskstorage device
  • fleškastorage device
Danish usb-stik, USB-stik
  • usb-stikstorage device
  • USB-stikstorage device
  • usb-nøglestorage device
  • USB-nøglestorage device
Esperanto poŝmemorilo, memorbastoneto
  • poŝmemorilostorage device
  • memorbastonetostorage device
Finnish muistitikku, USB-muisti
  • muistitikkustorage device
  • USB-muististorage device
  • flash-asemastorage device
French clé USB, disque flash
  • clé USBstorage device
  • disque flashstorage device
  • disque à mémoire flashstorage device
  • disque dur à mémoire flashstorage device
  • disque dur flashstorage device
German USB-Stick, USB-Massenspeicher
  • USB-Stickstorage device
  • USB-Massenspeicherstorage device
  • Flash-Laufwerkstorage device
Greek μνήμη USB
  • μνήμη USB (mními USB)storage device
Hebrew דיסק און קי
  • דיסק און קיstorage device
Hindi फ़्लैश ड्राइव
  • फ़्लैश ड्राइव (flaiś ḍrāiv)storage device
Hungarian pendrive, flash-meghajtó
  • pendrivestorage device
  • flash-meghajtóstorage device
Icelandic minnislykill, USB-minni
  • minnislykillstorage device
  • USB-minnistorage device
  • gagnalykillstorage device
  • þumadrifstorage device
Irish méaróg chuimhne, méaróg USB
  • méaróg chuimhnestorage device
  • méaróg USBstorage device
Italian pen-drive, pen drive
  • pen-drivestorage device
  • pen drivestorage device
  • chiavettastorage device
  • pennastorage device
  • pennettastorage device
  • penna USBstorage device
  • chiave USBstorage device
  • chiavetta USBstorage device
Japanese フラッシュドライブ
  • フラッシュドライブ (furasshudoraibu)storage device
Korean 플래시 드라이브
  • 플래시 드라이브 (peullaesi deuraibeu)storage device
Norwegian minnepinne
  • minnepinnestorage device
Polish pendrive, pendrajw
  • pendrivestorage device
  • pendrajwstorage device
  • PenDrivestorage device
  • pamięć USBstorage device
Portuguese pen-drive, pen
  • pen-drivestorage device
  • penstorage device
Romanian stick de memorie, stick USB
  • stick de memoriestorage device
  • stick USBstorage device
Russian фле́ш-накопи́тель, фле́шка
  • фле́ш-накопи́тель (fléš-nakopítelʹ)storage device
  • фле́шка (fléška)storage device
Spanish memoria USB/flash, lápiz de memoria
  • memoria USB/flashstorage device
  • lápiz de memoriastorage device
  • lápiz USBstorage device
  • llave mayastorage device
  • pinchostorage device
  • USBstorage device
Swedish USB-minne, USB-sticka
  • USB-minnestorage device
  • USB-stickastorage device
  • minnespinnestorage device
  • minnesstickastorage device
Thai แฟลชไดรฟ์, ทัมบ์ไดรฟ์
  • แฟลชไดรฟ์storage device
  • ทัมบ์ไดรฟ์ (tám-drái)storage device
Turkish bellek aygıtı, flash disk
  • bellek aygıtıstorage device
  • flash diskstorage device
  • flaş sürücüsüstorage device
  • hafıza ünitesistorage device
  • USB bellekstorage device
  • USB çubukstorage device
Vietnamese USB
  • USBstorage device
Welsh ffon gof, cof bach
  • ffon gofstorage device
  • cof bachstorage device
  • cofbinstorage device
  • gyriant fflachstorage device
Cite this entry
APA

flash drive. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 3, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/flash%20drive

MLA

“flash drive.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/flash%20drive. Accessed November 3, 2026.

Chicago

WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “flash drive,” accessed November 3, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/flash%20drive.

Source: flash drive on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.