Definition of "spyware" []

• Software that secretly gathers information about a person or organization. (noun)
• Any malicious software that is designed to take partial or full control of a computer's operation without the knowledge of its user. (noun)

American Heritage(R) Dictionary of the English Language, Fifth Edition. Copyright (c) 2011 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. All rights reserved.

• "- Consumer from California The term spyware may be amorphous, but there is no doubt that its negative impact is real."
• "I have never actually seen a virus from the web on any of my pc's, spyware is another story."
• "For them, slowdowns are common, viruses are a nuisance, and spyware is rampant."