hard drive

[hahrd drahyv]

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.

hard drive

noun

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

hard drive

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

2. Also called hard disk drive

hard drive

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.)

Word History and Origins

Origin of hard drive¹

First recorded in 1980–85

Example Sentences

He even goes as far as traveling with a hard drive at all times, so he can pop into studios and apartments and build upon the parts of songs he’s already laid out.

From Los Angeles Times

Ms Agarwal says the police have "seized his laptop, mobile phones and hard drives and his bank documents since he had monetised the account".

From BBC

He directed authorities to a specific location inside a closet to locate the digital video recorder, or DVR hard drive that was used to convert signals from an analog camera.

From Los Angeles Times

Police wrote a search warrant for surveillance footage, hard drives and phone records from the home and identified the nanny, 56-year-old Chunmei Li, as the suspect in the child abuse.

From Los Angeles Times

Six devices were seized and searched, including two mobile phones, laptops and external hard drives.

From BBC

Related Words

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