operating system
4 synonyms for operating system, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.
Noun — The main piece of software on a computer or phone that starts up first, manages the hardware such as the screen, memory and storage, and provides the shared services that all other programs rely on to run.
Synonyms
Everyday swaps
Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.
Less common
Still standard English, but they carry more weight.
Rare, literary or technical
Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.
Synonyms by Meaning
1. noun
The main piece of software on a computer or phone that starts up first, manages the hardware such as the screen, memory and storage, and provides the shared services that all other programs rely on to run.
“The laptop shipped with an older operating system, so a few of the apps refused to install.”
2. noun computing
A particular named version or release of such software, treated as a product in its own right.
“Support for that operating system ends next year, so the office machines are being upgraded.”
How to use operating system
The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.
Everyday in technology contexts; the abbreviation OS is common in writing and speech.
Etymology
A compound of operating, from operate, and system; in use in computing from the era of early mainframes, when the software that operated the machine was distinguished from the programs run on it.
Full origin of operating system →