ware
noun
Usually wares
ware
1 American
[wair]
/ wɛər /
noun
-
Usually wares
-
articles of merchandise or manufacture; goods.
a peddler selling his wares.
-
any intangible items, as services or products of artistic or intellectual creativity, that are saleable.
an actor advertising his wares.
-
-
a specified kind or class of merchandise or of manufactured article (usually used in combination).
silverware;
glassware.
-
pottery, or a particular kind of pottery.
delft ware.
-
Archaeology. a group of ceramic types classified according to paste and texture, surface modification, as burnish or glaze, and decorative motifs rather than shape and color.
ware
2
American
[wair]
/ wɛər /
ware
3
American
[wair]
/ wɛər /
verb (used with object)
Scot. and North England.
wared,
waring
ware
4
American
[wair]
/ wɛər /
noun
Scot. and North England.
-ware
5
American
ware
1
British
/ wɛə /
verb
ware
2
British
/ wɛə /
verb
adjective
ware
3
British
/ wɛə /
noun
-
(functioning as singular) articles of the same kind or material
glassware
silverware
-
porcelain or pottery of a specified type
agateware
jasper ware
–ware
Scientific
Usage
What does -ware mean? The combining form -ware is used like a suffix meaning “software,” a program used to direct a computer. It is occasionally used in technical terms, especially in computer science. The form -ware comes from the word software. The word software itself was coined around 1955 to contrast with hardware, a much older term used to refer to mechanical equipment. Learn more at our entry for hardware.
Etymology
Origin of ware1
First recorded before 1000; Middle English; Old English waru; cognate with German Ware
Origin of ware2
First recorded before 900; Middle English adjective; Old English adjective wær; cognate with German gewahr “aware,” Old Norse varr “aware”
Origin of ware3
First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English, from Old Norse verja “to spend, invest”
Origin of ware4
First recorded in 1250–1300; Middle English, from Old Norse vār “spring”; perhaps akin to Latin vēr, Greek éar “spring”; see vernal
Explanation
Ware is a particular type of item — luster ware is a kind of ceramic with a shiny metallic finish. Fiesta ware is a brand of colorful tabletop china that first became popular in the 1930s. The word shows up as a suffix, too — software, silverware, dinnerware — where it means articles of the same type or within the same category. A warehouse is a place where goods or raw materials are stored. When the word's plural, it means merchandise — when you display your wares in your shop, you're showing what you've got for sale.
Vocabulary lists containing ware
"The Story of an Hour" by Kate Chopin
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The Breadwinner
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Darius the Great Is Not Okay
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Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
See Examples For:
And when war headlines give way to the damage the ware has done to global growth prospects, stocks will struggle to recover.
From Barron's ● Mar. 27, 2026
Nichols’s large donation of ceramics to the museum included an Izumo ware teapot glazed in the creamy buttermilk hue that distinguishes its type.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Nov. 12, 2025
The boxes cost $50 for an assortment of pots, pans and other Le Creuset ware valued, in total, around $300.
From Salon ● Sep. 23, 2025
In small, geographically contained settings — such as stadiums, arenas and conference centers — re-usable food ware items have been used with success.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 10, 2025
But the main ware was something else, something flat, roundish and white.
From "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel
See also careware, charityware, crippleware, freeware, FRS, guiltware, postcardware, and -ware; compare payware.
From The Jargon File, Version 4.2.2, 20 Aug 2000 by Guy L. Steele
See also careware, charityware, crippleware, FRS, guiltware, postcardware, and -ware; compare payware.
From The Jargon File, Version 4.2.2, 20 Aug 2000 by Guy L. Steele
But she wared that “the vital issues identified in this case will not disappear or be appropriately addressed without focused State attention, resources, ongoing serious evaluation by independent cybersecurity experts, and open-mindedness.”
From Washington Times ● Oct. 11, 2020
The best blessing they wared on him was, 'Deil scowp wi' Redgauntlet!'
From Redgauntlet by Sir Walter Scott
He voice soun' like a bell; an' he jes wallered dat turr man, an' wared him out; an' when he set down dee all yelled an' hollered so you couldn' heah you' ears.
From Unc' Edinburg A Plantation Echo by Thomas Nelson Page
She wared it high above her head, then she paused a moment to look right in his direction under her hand held level with her brows.
From The Lilac Sunbonnet by S. R. (Samuel Rutherford) Crockett
Let us give them a' the schooling we can, poor things; and the day will come when they will thank us, or mair than thank us, for a' that we have wared upon them.
From Wilson's Tales of the Borders and of Scotland Volume 16 by Various
Alexander Lewis, the son of the defendant, carried out various repairs on the car but nothing on the waring system as this was something the garage was not able to do.
From BBC ● Jul. 21, 2026
Though the crowd of about 1,000 coalition donors was not waring red yarmulkes with the word “Trump,” as in years past, their support of him was on display early.
From Seattle Times ● Oct. 28, 2023
As hopes faded for a truce between Sudan’s waring factions, it became clear that the U.S.
From New York Times ● Apr. 23, 2023
Gwyneth Paltrow stunned at the 2011 Met Gala waring a sequined Stella McCartney column gown and nude peep-toe pumps.
From Fox News ● Sep. 13, 2021
I'll heave-to, when past you," he cried out, "waring ship to do so.
From Miles Wallingford Sequel to "Afloat and Ashore" by James Fenimore Cooper
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
