virtual machine
Virtual machine (noun) means 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. Example: “She tests the installer on a virtual machine so her own laptop stays untouched.”
How to Use Virtual machine
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA computer that exists as software inside another computer.
Technical; almost always abbreviated to VM in conversation among people who work with them.
The plural is virtual machines; the abbreviation VM is said as two letters, vee-em.
Trace the full origin ↓Fill the Gap
Can you complete this real example?
She tests the installer on a _____ so her own laptop stays untouched.
Etymology
A compound of virtual, in the sense of existing in effect though not in physical form, and machine.
Synonyms
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Rhymes for virtual machine
See all rhymes for 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.