mainframe
noun
main·frame
ˈmān-ˌfrām 
1
: a large, powerful computer that can handle many tasks concurrently and is usually used commercially
… the million-dollar mainframe computers that took up entire floors of corporate premises …—
John Derbyshire
John Derbyshire2
dated
: a computer with its cabinet and internal circuits especially when considered separately from any peripherals connected to the computer
Examples of mainframe in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
During the 1980s, mainframe engineers considered personal computers to be insignificant devices.
—Sadhasivam Mohanadas, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Vendors tout these devices for their ability to run AI workloads more efficiently than if data was sent to the cloud or a mainframe server.
—John Kell, Fortune, 20 Aug. 2025
But this time, the problem was with one of the carrier’s systems, Unimatic, a legacy mainframe program dating back to the 1970s, which feeds data to other systems that track flight times and help calculate weight and balance data necessary for takeoff.
—Barbara Peterson, AFAR Media, 19 Aug. 2025
In 1961, an IBM mainframe computer took up as much as 10,000 square feet of space, a footprint sufficiently vast that six of them would cover an entire football field.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 15 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mainframe
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Sadhasivam Mohanadas, Forbes.com, 3 Sep. 2025
Vendors tout these devices for their ability to run AI workloads more efficiently than if data was sent to the cloud or a mainframe server.
—John Kell, Fortune, 20 Aug. 2025
But this time, the problem was with one of the carrier’s systems, Unimatic, a legacy mainframe program dating back to the 1970s, which feeds data to other systems that track flight times and help calculate weight and balance data necessary for takeoff.
—Barbara Peterson, AFAR Media, 19 Aug. 2025
In 1961, an IBM mainframe computer took up as much as 10,000 square feet of space, a footprint sufficiently vast that six of them would cover an entire football field.
—Anthony Crupi, Sportico.com, 15 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for mainframe
Cite this Entry
“Mainframe.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mainframe. Accessed 12 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationKids Definition
mainframe
noun
main·frame
ˈmān-ˌfrām
: a large fast computer that can do many jobs at once
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