VPN

noun

ˌvē-ˌpē-ˈen 

plural VPNs

: a private computer network that functions over a public network : virtual private network

As more employees connect to their office networks from home, they expose the company to attack. A VPN lets companies use the Internet as a secure pathway into their existing network.

—Michael Bertin

VPNs help cloak your browsing information from your internet provider. When you use VPN software, your device connects to a VPN provider's servers. That way, all your web traffic passes through the VPN provider's internet connection.

—Brian X. Chen

Examples of VPN in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Within less than two years, Chai has garnered more than 850,000 subscribers to her channel, despite YouTube being blocked in China, accessible only by using a virtual private network (VPN). —Wenxin Fan, NPR, 11 Apr. 2025

Courtesy of Vivaldi Vivaldi Technologies has announced a new partnership with Proton AG that will integrate the free version of Proton VPN into Vivaldi's web browser, allowing every user a quick and easy way to access a virtual private network (VPN). —Scott Gilbertson, Wired News, 27 Mar. 2025

There are a handful of different techniques, called protocols, that define a VPN’s secure connection. —PCMAG, 14 Mar. 2025

Prosecutors on March 7 submitted an extensive list of documents allegedly showing that Goldstein used a Virtual Private Network (VPN) to hide millions in winnings. —Faisal Kutty, Newsweek, 10 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1984, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

VPN

noun

ˌvē-ˌpē-ˈen

: virtual private network