system software

Meaning

1. 1noununcountable

   The programs that control a computer's basic operations and let application programs run.

   Grammar: Uncountable; no plural. Contrast with 'application software', which is countable in everyday use.

   Patterns

   • install system software
   • system software for something
   • a piece of system software

   The operating system and device drivers are examples of system software.

   You must update the system software before installing the new application.

   A fault in the system software caused the whole network to shut down.

Common combinations

install system software

The technician will install system software on all the new laptops.

update the system software

Please update the system software to fix the security problem.

system software update

A system software update was released last week.

system software and application software

The course covers both system software and application software.

Synonyms and how they differ

operating system

An operating system is one important kind of system software, but system software also includes drivers and utilities.

firmware

Firmware is software built into a device; it is related but usually stored on the hardware itself.

Opposites

Word family

software noun

Programs and data used by a computer.

systems software noun

A less common variant spelling of the same term.

Commonly confused: system software or application software?

Practice

Make it your own

Write a sentence using “system software”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.

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