Meanings
nounhardware (uncountable)
- uncountableFixtures, 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.
He needed a hammer, nails, screws, nuts, bolts and other assorted hardware, so he went to the hardware store.
- informaluncountableEquipment.
military hardware
3 more examples
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_RatherIt 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 40Smaller, 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 - uncountablecomputingThe part of a computer that is fixed and cannot be altered without replacement or physical modification; motherboard, expansion cards, etc.
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 - uncountableengineeringElectronic equipment.
- slanguncountableA firearm.
- PhilippinesabbreviationellipsisuncountableEllipsis of hardware store.
Synonyms & antonyms
Narrower
nouninstrumentalities (tools or implements) made of metal
Similar
noun(computer science) the mechanical, magnetic, electronic, and electrical components making up a computer system
Similar
computer hardware
Opposite
Broader
Also see
Synonym sets from Open English WordNet, CC BY 4.0.
Origin
- Middle Englishhardware
- Englishhardware
From Middle English hardware; equivalent to hard + -ware; attested since the mid-15th century.
More words from Middle English
Full word history & related roots →Translations
Arabic مَتاع الحاسب, المَتاع
- مَتاع الحاسبmaterial part of a computer
- المَتاع (al-matāʕ)material part of a computer
Bengali হার্ডওয়্যার, হার্ডওয়্যার
- হার্ডওয়্যার (ḣarḍōẏyar)material part of a computer
- হার্ডওয়্যার (hardoêr)electronic equipment
Bulgarian железари́я, обору́дване
- железари́я (železaríja)fixtures, equipment, tools and devices
- обору́дване (oborúdvane)equipment
- ха́рдуер (hárduer)material part of a computer
- железари́я (železaríja)metal implements
Catalan ferreteria, ferramenta
- ferreteriafixtures, equipment, tools and devices
- ferramentafixtures, equipment, tools and devices
- equipamentequipment
- maquinarimaterial part of a computer
Chinese Cantonese 硬件, 硬件
- 硬件material part of a computer
- 硬件electronic equipment
Chinese Mandarin 硬件, 硬體 /硬体
- 硬件 (yìngjiàn)material part of a computer
- 硬體 /硬体 (yìngtǐ)material part of a computer
- 硬設備 /硬设备 (yìngshèbèi)material part of a computer
- 硬件 (yìngjiàn)electronic equipment
- 硬體 /硬体 (yìngtǐ)electronic equipment
Czech hardware, zbraň
- hardwarematerial part of a computer
- zbraňslang: firearm
- hardwareelectronic equipment
Danish isenkram, udstyr
- isenkramfixtures, equipment, tools and devices
- udstyrequipment
- hardwarematerial part of a computer
- udstyrmetal implements
- skydevåbenslang: firearm
- isenkramslang: firearm
- maskinelelectronic equipment
- hardwareelectronic equipment
Dutch ijzerwaren, hardware
- ijzerwarenfixtures, equipment, tools and devices
- hardwarematerial part of a computer
Esperanto aparataro
- aparataromaterial part of a computer
Finnish rakennustarvikkeet, kalusto
- rakennustarvikkeetfixtures, equipment, tools and devices
- kalustoequipment
- laitteistomaterial part of a computer
- hardwarematerial part of a computer
- rautamaterial part of a computer
- hardismaterial part of a computer
- rautatavarametal implements
- tykkislang: firearm
- laitteistoelectronic equipment
- elektroniikkaelectronic equipment
French équipement, matériel
- équipementfixtures, equipment, tools and devices
- matérielmaterial part of a computer
- hardwarematerial part of a computer
- matériel informatiquematerial part of a computer
- quincailleriemetal implements
- arme à feuslang: firearm
German Eisenwaren, Hardware
- Eisenwarenfixtures, equipment, tools and devices
- Hardwarematerial part of a computer
Greek δομικά υλικά, υλισμικό
- δομικά υλικά (domiká yliká)fixtures, equipment, tools and devices
- υλισμικό (ylismikó)material part of a computer
- σιδηρικά (sidiriká)metal implements
- είδη κιγκαλερίας (eídi kigkalerías)metal implements
- σιδερικό (siderikó)slang: firearm
- ηλεκτρονικός εξοπλισμός (ilektronikós exoplismós)electronic equipment
Hebrew חומרה
- חומרה (khomrá)material part of a computer
Hindi हार्डवेयर
- हार्डवेयर (hārḍaveyar)material part of a computer
Hungarian barkácsáru, szerszámáru
- barkácsárufixtures, equipment, tools and devices
- szerszámárufixtures, equipment, tools and devices
- iparárufixtures, equipment, tools and devices
- iparcikkfixtures, equipment, tools and devices
- felszerelésequipment
- berendezésequipment
- eszközökequipment
- hardvermaterial part of a computer
- vasárumetal implements
- fémárumetal implements
Icelandic vélbúnaður
- vélbúnaðurmaterial part of a computer
Indonesian peralatan, perlengkapan
- peralatanequipment
- perlengkapanequipment
- perangkat kerasmaterial part of a computer
- peranti kerasmaterial part of a computer
- peralatanmaterial part of a computer
Irish crua-earraí
- crua-earraímaterial part of a computer
Italian ferramenta, hardware
- ferramentafixtures, equipment, tools and devices
- hardwarematerial part of a computer
Japanese ハードウェア, ハード
- ハードウェア (hādowea)material part of a computer
- ハード (hādo)material part of a computer
Korean 하드웨어, 굳은모
- 하드웨어 (hadeuweeo)material part of a computer
- 굳은모 (gudeunmo)material part of a computer
Latvian aparatūra, aparatūra
- aparatūrafixtures, equipment, tools and devices
- aparatūramaterial part of a computer
Lithuanian aparatūra, aparatūra
- aparatūrafixtures, equipment, tools and devices
- aparatūramaterial part of a computer
- techninė įrangamaterial part of a computer
- aparatinė įrangamaterial part of a computer
Malay peralatan, kelengkapan
- peralatanequipment
- kelengkapanequipment
- perkakasanmaterial part of a computer
Māori pūmārō
- pūmārōmaterial part of a computer
Norwegian utstyr
- utstyrequipment
Norwegian Bokmål jernvare, maskinvare
- jernvarefixtures, equipment, tools and devices
- maskinvarematerial part of a computer
- maskinvareelectronic equipment
Persian سختافزار
- سختافزار (saxt-afzâr)material part of a computer
Polish artykuły żelazne, sprzęt
- artykuły żelaznefixtures, equipment, tools and devices
- sprzętequipment
- artykuły żelazneequipment
- hardwarematerial part of a computer
- sprzęt komputerowymaterial part of a computer
- artykuły metalowemetal implements
- sprzętelectronic equipment
Portuguese equipamento, hardware
- equipamentofixtures, equipment, tools and devices
- hardwarematerial part of a computer
- ferragensmetal implements
Romanian echipament, componente fizice
- echipamentfixtures, equipment, tools and devices
- componente fizicefixtures, equipment, tools and devices
- componente materialefixtures, equipment, tools and devices
- hardwarematerial part of a computer
- aparaturămaterial part of a computer
- aparatajmaterial part of a computer
- hardwareelectronic equipment
- aparaturăelectronic equipment
Russian стройматериа́лы, оборудование
- стройматериа́лы (strojmateriály)fixtures, equipment, tools and devices
- оборудование (oborudovanije)equipment
- аппарату́ра (apparatúra)material part of a computer
- хардве́р (xardvér)material part of a computer
- аппара́тное обеспече́ние (apparátnoje obespečénije)material part of a computer
- обору́дование (oborúdovanije)material part of a computer
- железо (železo)material part of a computer
- аппарату́ра (apparatúra)electronic equipment
- хардве́р (xardvér)electronic equipment
- обору́дование (oborúdovanije)electronic equipment
Scottish Gaelic bathar-cruaidh
- bathar-cruaidhmaterial part of a computer
Spanish hardware, soporte físico
- hardwarematerial part of a computer
- soporte físicomaterial part of a computer
- hárdwermaterial part of a computer
- fierrosmetal implements
- arma de fuegoslang: firearm
- hardwareelectronic equipment
- soporte físicoelectronic equipment
- hárdwerelectronic equipment
Swahili maunzi ngumu
- maunzi ngumumaterial part of a computer
Swedish järnvara, hårdvara
- järnvarafixtures, equipment, tools and devices
- hårdvaramaterial part of a computer
- maskinvaramaterial part of a computer
Thai ฮาร์ดแวร์
- ฮาร์ดแวร์ (háat-wɛɛ)material part of a computer
Turkish hırdavat, donanım
- hırdavatfixtures, equipment, tools and devices
- donanımmaterial part of a computer
- donanımelectronic equipment
Ukrainian апарату́ра, те́хніка
- апарату́ра (aparatúra)fixtures, equipment, tools and devices
- те́хніка (téxnika)fixtures, equipment, tools and devices
- прила́ддя (pryláddja)fixtures, equipment, tools and devices
- обла́днання (obládnannja)equipment
- те́хніка (téxnika)equipment
- апаратне забезпечення (aparatne zabezpečennja)material part of a computer
- апара́тне забезпе́чення (aparátne zabezpéčennja)material part of a computer
- метале́ве знаря́ддя (metaléve znarjáddja)metal implements
- вогнепа́льна збро́я (vohnepálʹna zbrója)slang: firearm
- обла́днання (obládnannja)electronic equipment
- апара́тне забезпе́чення (aparátne zabezpéčennja)electronic equipment
Urdu ہارڈ ویئر, مصنع کثیف
- ہارڈ ویئر (hārḍ-vear)material part of a computer
- مصنع کثیف (musanna'-e-kasīf)material part of a computer
Vietnamese cương liệu, phần cứng
- cương liệumaterial part of a computer
- phần cứngmaterial part of a computer
- phần máymaterial part of a computer
Welsh caledwedd, caledwedd
- caledweddfixtures, equipment, tools and devices
- caledweddmaterial part of a computer
Cite this entry
APA
hardware. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 2, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hardware
MLA
“hardware.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hardware. Accessed November 2, 2026.
Chicago
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “hardware,” accessed November 2, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/hardware.
Source: hardware on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.