English dictionary, thesaurus, translations & etymology
FreeDict.com
noun

Microsoft

MYK-ruh-soft
noun
1
By extension, any company whose products or brand become so common that they dominate everyday use.
"Locals joked that the coffee chain had become the Microsoft of breakfast."
verb
1
To make something behave or look like a Microsoft product, often used disparagingly of clunky software design.
"The new update completely microsofted the once-simple app with menus nobody needed."

How to Use Microsoft

Learner’s notes

In plain EnglishUsed loosely to describe anything that acts like the tech giant Microsoft, either in market dominance or in software style.

Easily confused with
microsofted

Word Forms

Microsofted past tense, Microsofts plural, Microsofts singular

Study it as flashcards or scroll it in Flow — saved to your collection.
Test yourself on “Microsoft” A quick quiz — meaning, synonyms & usage

Fill the Gap

Can you complete this real example?

Locals joked that the coffee chain had become the _____ of breakfast.

Etymology

A blend of "microcomputer" and "software," coined when the company was founded in the 1970s to sell software for early personal computers.

Definitions: FreeDict original editorial