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

Identity monitoring service Aura freezes your credit reports for you, and offers numerous other security features, including a password generator, VPN, email aliases, robocall filters and malware protection. — Brian Sloan, CNBC, 4 Aug. 2026

Well, the team at Windscribe VPN, one of our favorite VPN services, has developed a script to remove that ID. — Alan Henry, PC Magazine, 31 July 2026

If a vendor cannot explain specifically where PQC is implemented, how it is enforced and what the upgrade path looks like across TLS, VPN, PKI and code signing, the compliance claim is not credible. — Kumar Mehta, Forbes.com, 26 June 2026

In part that’s because, as Reuters reports, Australian Virtual Private Network (VPN), tools that hide user identity (and age), downloads nearly tripled leading up to the ban. — Jessica Melugin, Twin Cities, 3 May 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1984, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

VPN

noun

ˌvē-ˌpē-ˈen 

: virtual private network