virtual machine

6 synonyms and 2 antonyms for virtual machine, grouped by meaning and by how common each one is.

Noun — A complete computer created in software rather than hardware, running inside a real computer with its own operating system, memory and storage, and behaving as though it were a separate machine.

Synonyms

Everyday swaps

Common words most readers know — safe in any writing.

instance

Less common

Still standard English, but they carry more weight.

interpreter

Rare, literary or technical

Precise, but they will stand out — check the sense before using one.

VM guest machine virtualised computer runtime

Synonyms by Meaning

1. noun

A complete computer created in software rather than hardware, running inside a real computer with its own operating system, memory and storage, and behaving as though it were a separate machine.

“She tests the installer on a virtual machine so her own laptop stays untouched.”

VM guest machine virtualised computer instance

Opposites

physical machine bare metal

2. noun computing

A program that runs code written for an imaginary computer, so that the same code can work unchanged on many different real machines.

“The language compiles to instructions for a virtual machine rather than to instructions for any particular processor.”

VM runtime interpreter

How to use virtual machine

The word patterns that sound natural to a native speaker.

spin up a virtual machine virtual machine image host a virtual machine Java virtual machine

Technical; almost always abbreviated to VM in conversation among people who work with them.

Etymology

A compound of virtual, in the sense of existing in effect though not in physical form, and machine.

Full origin of virtual machine →

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between a virtual machine and a container?

A virtual machine carries a full operating system of its own and behaves like a separate computer, which makes it heavier to start and larger to store. A container shares the operating system of the host and packages only the application and the files it depends on, so it is lighter but less isolated.

Why would you run a virtual machine?

Common reasons are running software built for a different operating system, keeping risky or experimental work away from the main system, and dividing one large server into several independent ones that can be created and destroyed easily.

Does a virtual machine slow the computer down?

It uses a share of the host computer's processor, memory and storage while it is running, so the host has less available. Modern processors include features that reduce the overhead considerably, but the resources are still divided between host and guest.

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instance interpreter runtime

Nearby words

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