GW-BASIC是高级编程语言BASIC的一个方言版本。关于GW的含义，目前有三种说法，一种认为是以微软早期程序员Greg Whitten的名字命名的，一种认为是用微软创始人的名字Gates，William命名的，还有一种说法是开发人员给它取的一个戏称gee-whiz（两个英语的象声词，类似于中文里吆喝牲口的声音）。有一点是肯定的，这个版本的BASIC最早是微软为康柏开发的，时间应该是在1984年，这一年11月，微软首次为IBM之外的计算机厂商提供OEM版本的DOS，GW-BASIC是作为MS-DOS的一个组成部分问世的。

GW-BASIC is a dialect of the BASIC programming language developed by Microsoft from BASICA, originally for Compaq. It is otherwise identical to Microsoft/IBM BASICA, but is a fully self-contained executable and does not need the ROM BASIC. It was bundled with MS-DOS operating systems on IBM PC compatibles by Microsoft. Microsoft also sold a BASIC compiler, BASCOM, compatible with GW-BASIC, for programs needing more speed. The language is suitable for simple games, business programs and the like. Since it was included with most versions of MS-DOS, it was also a low cost way for many would-be programmers to learn the fundamentals of computer programming. With the release of MS-DOS 5.0, GW-BASIC's place was eventually taken by QBasic, the interpreter part of the separately available QuickBASIC compiler.