hard drive

American  

[hahrd drahyv] / ˈhɑrd ˈdraɪv /

noun

Computers.

1. HDD.

2. (loosely) a drive for a computer, as a traditional hard disk drive (HDD) or another drive serving a similar function, as opposed to a very small, portable flash drive.

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hard drive British  

noun

1. computing (on a computer) the mechanism that handles the reading, writing, and storage of data on the hard disk

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hard drive Scientific  

1. A disk drive that reads data stored on hard disks.

2. Also called hard disk drive

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hard drive Cultural  

1. The bulk of the memory of a personal computer is magnetically stored on hard disks that constitute the hard drive. Information in the hard drive is durable, in that it remains magnetically stored when the computer is turned off. (See magnetic memory.)

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Etymology

Origin of hard drive

First recorded in 1980–85

Example Sentences

Micron is a leader in the markets for dynamic random-access memory, or DRAM, used in desktop computers and servers, and for flash memory, found in smartphones and solid-state hard drives.

From Barron's

Micron is a leader in the markets for dynamic random-access memory, or DRAM, which is used in desktop computers and servers, and for flash memory, found in smartphones and solid-state hard drives.

From Barron's

My house is filled to overflowing with clothes I will never wear, books I will never read and pocket-size external hard drives I will never get around to formatting.

From The Wall Street Journal

However, they are not without limitations: they are sensitive to external disturbances -- such as strong magnetic fields near a hard drive -- and their performance typically degrades over time.

From Science Daily

Police raided Qian's Hampstead rental property and uncovered hard drives and laptops found to be loaded with tens of thousands of Bitcoin - believed to be the single largest cryptocurrency seizure in UK history.

From BBC

Related Words

• disk drive
• hardware
• modem
• personal computer
• supercomputer