: software designed to interfere with a computer's normal functioning
Examples of malware in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
The best way to safeguard yourself from malicious links that install malware, potentially accessing your private information, is to have strong antivirus software installed on all your devices.
—
Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 1 Sep. 2025
On one hand, attackers are already using AI to scale phishing, mutate malware and identify weaknesses.
—Tony Bradley, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2025
Using malware to hijack the registration process is something altogether different.
—Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 28 Aug. 2025
The Russian state hacker group known as Turla has carried out some of the most innovative hacking feats in the history of cyberespionage, hiding their malware's communications in satellite connections or hijacking other hackers' operations to cloak their own data extraction.
—Andy Greenberg, Wired News, 31 July 2025
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Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 1 Sep. 2025
On one hand, attackers are already using AI to scale phishing, mutate malware and identify weaknesses.
—Tony Bradley, Forbes.com, 30 Aug. 2025
Using malware to hijack the registration process is something altogether different.
—Dan Goodin, ArsTechnica, 28 Aug. 2025
The Russian state hacker group known as Turla has carried out some of the most innovative hacking feats in the history of cyberespionage, hiding their malware's communications in satellite connections or hijacking other hackers' operations to cloak their own data extraction.
—Andy Greenberg, Wired News, 31 July 2025
See All Example Sentences for malware
Cite this Entry
“Malware.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/malware. Accessed 9 Sep. 2025.
Copy CitationLegal Definition
malware
noun
mal·ware
ˈmal-ˌwer 
: software that is designed to interfere with a computer's normal functioning and that can be used to commit cybercrime (as by revealing passwords, PINs, and other sensitive data)
Etymology
mal- bad + software
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