firmware

noun

firm·​ware ˈfərm-ˌwer How to pronounce firmware (audio)
: computer programs contained permanently in a hardware device (such as a read-only memory)

Examples of firmware in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web In their daily roles, IT teams are responsible for making hundreds of software updates, firmware changes and patches across dozens of systems, each with its own set of challenges. Douglas Murray, Forbes, 1 Mar. 2024 Memory card firmware can be upgraded so cards can take advantage of any improvements over the lifetime of the card. Mark Sparrow, Forbes, 22 Feb. 2024 Researchers discovered the first Apple firmware viruses in 2015. Maxwell Zeff / Gizmodo, Quartz, 12 Feb. 2024 Successful exploitation of the vulnerability allows attackers to neutralize this mechanism by executing malicious firmware at the earliest stages of the boot process before the Unified Extensible Firmware Interface firmware has loaded and handed off control to the operating system. Dan Goodin, Ars Technica, 7 Feb. 2024 In that case, the attacker would first have to forge the digital certificate the server uses to prove it’s authorized to provide boot firmware to devices. Dan Goodin, Ars Technica, 7 Feb. 2024 The firmware for both the DualSense and DualSense Edge wireless controllers has been updated with this PS5 beta to improve the volume of the speakers that output in-game sounds and voice chat. Tom Warren, The Verge, 6 Feb. 2024 The last step, a firmware update, requires entering a password. PCMAG, 27 Jan. 2024 Jim Salter OpenWrt, the open source firmware that sprang from Linksys' use of open source code in its iconic WRT54G router and subsequent release of its work, is 20 years old this year. Kevin Purdy, Ars Technica, 23 Jan. 2024

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'firmware.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1967, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of firmware was in 1967

Dictionary Entries Near firmware

Cite this Entry

“Firmware.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/firmware. Accessed 18 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

firmware

noun
firm·​ware ˈfərm-ˌwa(ə)r How to pronounce firmware (audio)
-ˌwe(ə)r
: computer programs contained permanently in a hardware device (as a read-only memory)

More from Merriam-Webster on firmware

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