Standard Lemma guide

desktop

adj · noun · 9 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.

Sound

Pronunciation

Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.

  • dĕskʹ-tŏp
  • /ˈdɛsktɒp/
  • Southern-England: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • Australian: [ˈdɛskˌtɔp]
  • UK: [ˈdɛskˌtɒp]
  • US: [ˈdɛskˌtɑp]
  • CMU ARPABET: D EH1 S K T AA2 P Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

adj

Meaning 1

Designed for use on a desk or similar piece of furniture.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

2

adj

Meaning 2

Of an application or website, designed to be run or viewed on a personal computer.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: not-comparable

Topics: computing, engineering, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, sciences

Examples

  • desktop browser

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

noun

Meaning 3

The top surface of a desk.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

A desktop computer.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: computing, engineering, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, sciences

Examples

  • Laptops are often more expensive than desktops.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

5

noun

Meaning 5

A personal computer, as opposed to computers for business or server purposes.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: computing, engineering, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, sciences

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

6

noun

Meaning 6

The main graphical user interface of an operating system, usually displaying icons, windows and background wallpaper.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: computing, engineering, graphical-user-interface, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, sciences

Examples

  • I installed a new application and it added its icon to my desktop.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

7

noun

Meaning 7

The wallpaper of this interface.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Topics: computing, engineering, graphical-user-interface, mathematics, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, sciences

Examples

  • For quotations using this term, see Citations:desktop.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

8

noun

Meaning 8

(computer science) the area of the screen in graphical user interfaces against which icons and windows appear

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: background, screen background

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: screen, CRT screen

9

noun

Meaning 9

the top of a desk

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: top, top side, upper side, upside

History

Etymology

From desk + top.

Across languages

Translations

102 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Hungarian: asztali — designed for use on a desk or similar piece of furniture
  • Hungarian: íróasztali — designed for use on a desk or similar piece of furniture
  • Polish: biurkowy — designed for use on a desk or similar piece of furniture
  • Hungarian: asztali — computing: of an application or website, designed to be run or viewed on a personal computer
  • Polish: przeglądarkowy — computing: of an application or website, designed to be run or viewed on a personal computer
  • Catalan: escriptori — the top surface of a desk
  • Chinese Mandarin: 桌面 (zhuōmiàn) — the top surface of a desk
  • Finnish: työtaso — the top surface of a desk
  • German: Schreibtischfläche — the top surface of a desk
  • Greek: επιφάνεια εργασίας (epifáneia ergasías) — the top surface of a desk
  • Hungarian: asztalfelület — the top surface of a desk
  • Hungarian: dolgozóasztal/munkaasztal felülete — the top surface of a desk
  • Japanese: 机の上 (tsukue no ue) — the top surface of a desk
  • Korean: 탁상 (taksang) — the top surface of a desk
  • Malay: atas meja — the top surface of a desk
  • Polish: blat biurka — the top surface of a desk
  • Russian: столе́шница (stoléšnica) — the top surface of a desk
  • Sicilian: scannaturi — the top surface of a desk
  • Slovak: stolová doska — the top surface of a desk
  • Slovak: pracovná doska — the top surface of a desk
  • Spanish: escritorio — the top surface of a desk
  • Spanish: sobremesa — the top surface of a desk
  • Thai: พื้นโต๊ะ — the top surface of a desk
  • Turkish: masaüstü — the top surface of a desk
  • Catalan: sobretaula — a desktop computer
  • Chinese Cantonese: 桌上電腦 /桌上电脑 (coek3 soeng6 din6 nou5) — a desktop computer
  • Chinese Mandarin: 桌機 /桌机 (zhuōjī) — a desktop computer
  • Chinese Mandarin: 檯式機 /台式机 or 枱式機 /枱式机 (táishìjī) — a desktop computer
  • Chinese Mandarin: 台式机 (táishìjī) — a desktop computer
  • Chinese Mandarin: 檯式電腦 /台式电脑 or 枱式電腦 /枱式电脑 — a desktop computer
  • Chinese Mandarin: 台式电脑 (táishì diànnǎo) — a desktop computer
  • Chinese Mandarin: 桌上型電腦 /桌上型电脑 (zhuōshàngxíng diànnǎo) — a desktop computer
  • Chinese Mandarin: 桌面電腦 /桌面电脑 (zhuōmiàn diànnǎo) — a desktop computer
  • Dutch: desktop — a desktop computer
  • Finnish: pöytätietokone — a desktop computer
  • German: Desktop-Computer — a desktop computer
  • Greek: επιτραπέζιος υπολογιστής (epitrapézios ypologistís) — a desktop computer
  • Hungarian: asztali számítógép — a desktop computer
  • Icelandic: borðtölva — a desktop computer
  • Irish: ríomhaire deisce — a desktop computer
  • Italian: calcolatore fisso — a desktop computer
  • Italian: computer fisso — a desktop computer
  • Japanese: デスクトップパソコン (desukutoppu pasokon) — a desktop computer
  • Japanese: デスクトップ (desukutoppu) — a desktop computer
  • Korean: 데스크톱 컴퓨터 (deseukeutop keompyuteo) — a desktop computer
  • Korean: 데스크톱 (deseukeutop) — a desktop computer
  • Lithuanian: darbalaukis — a desktop computer
  • Malay: komputer meja — a desktop computer
  • Marathi: डेस्कटॉप (ḍeskaṭŏp) — a desktop computer
  • Polish: komputer stacjonarny — a desktop computer
  • Polish: blaszak — a desktop computer
  • Portuguese: desktop — a desktop computer
  • Portuguese: computador de mesa — a desktop computer
  • Portuguese: computador de secretária — a desktop computer
  • Russian: насто́льный компью́тер (nastólʹnyj kompʹjúter) — a desktop computer
  • Sicilian: carculaturi fissu — a desktop computer
  • Sicilian: computer fissu — a desktop computer
  • Slovak: stolný počítač — a desktop computer
  • Slovak: desktop — a desktop computer
  • Swedish: skrivbordsdator — a desktop computer
  • Thai: คอมพิวเตอร์ตั้งโต๊ะ — a desktop computer
  • Turkish: masaüstü bilgisayar — a desktop computer
  • Vietnamese: máy tính để bàn — a desktop computer
  • Volapük: tabanünöm — a desktop computer
  • Arabic: سَطْح الْمَكْتَب (saṭḥ al-maktab) — on-screen background
  • Azerbaijani: iş masası — on-screen background
  • Catalan: escriptori — on-screen background
  • Chinese Mandarin: 桌面 (zhuōmiàn) — on-screen background
  • Czech: plocha — on-screen background
  • Dutch: bureaublad — on-screen background
  • Dutch: desktop — on-screen background
  • Esperanto: labortablo — on-screen background
  • Finnish: työpöytä — on-screen background
  • French: bureau — on-screen background
  • German: Benutzeroberfläche — on-screen background
  • German: Arbeitsoberfläche — on-screen background
  • Greek: επιφάνεια εργασίας (epifáneia ergasías) — on-screen background
  • Hungarian: asztal — on-screen background
  • Hungarian: munkaasztal — on-screen background
  • Icelandic: skjáborð — on-screen background
  • Indonesian: desktop — on-screen background
  • Irish: deasc — on-screen background
  • Japanese: デスクトップ (desukutoppu) — on-screen background
  • Korean: 바탕화면 (batanghwamyeon) — on-screen background
  • Korean: 배경화면 (baegyeonghwamyeon) — on-screen background
  • Macedonian: работна површина (rabotna površina) — on-screen background
  • Macedonian: работен простор (raboten prostor) — on-screen background
  • Polish: pulpit — on-screen background
  • Polish: biurko — on-screen background
  • Portuguese: ambiente de trabalho — on-screen background
  • Portuguese: área de trabalho — on-screen background
  • Portuguese: desktop — on-screen background
  • Russian: рабо́чий стол (rabóčij stol) — on-screen background
  • Serbo-Croatian: radna površina — on-screen background
  • Sicilian: desktop — on-screen background
  • Sicilian: scannaturi — on-screen background
  • Sicilian: tàvulu di travagghiu — on-screen background
  • Slovak: plocha — on-screen background
  • Spanish: escritorio — on-screen background
  • Swedish: skrivbord — on-screen background
  • Turkish: masaüstü — on-screen background
  • Vietnamese: hình nền — on-screen background
Real reading context

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