graphical user interface

noun

plural graphical user interfaces
: a user interface that allows a computer user to interact easily with the computer typically by making choices from displayed menus or groups of icons
… how quickly the software companies can write new applications, or new versions of old applications, to take advantage of windows, icons, menus and mice, the principal elements of the graphical user interface.Peter H. Lewis

Examples of graphical user interface in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
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The clueless top brass at Xerox’s headquarters sat by while Apple, and eventually everyone else, copied its graphical user interface. Steven Levy, WIRED, 6 Dec. 2024 The testbed group plans to release a new graphical user interface soon, as well as a test orchestration tool that contains hundreds of plug-and-play test cases to help customers quickly determine if their prototypes are working as intended across a variety of standards and scenarios. IEEE Spectrum, 26 July 2024 In 1984 Apple introduced the Macintosh, which featured a graphical user interface and a mouse, revolutionizing the way users interacted with computers. IEEE Spectrum, 16 Apr. 2024 At the time, Apple’s computers were the first to have graphical user interfaces (or GUIs) — a new and exciting way for users to interact with computer screens using visual elements like icons, buttons, and menus rather than text. Laura Bratton, Quartz, 18 Mar. 2024 See all Example Sentences for graphical user interface 

Word History

First Known Use

1981, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of graphical user interface was in 1981

Dictionary Entries Near graphical user interface

Cite this Entry

“Graphical user interface.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/graphical%20user%20interface. Accessed 21 Dec. 2024.

Kids Definition

graphical user interface

noun
: software that simplifies the use of a computer especially by using icons and menus

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