ad server

noun

: a web server that provides advertisements and advertising services to websites

In short, ad servers let both advertisers and Web site owners do their jobs, better, faster and cheaper …

—Lee Weiner

Examples of ad server in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Google unlawfully locked publishers on its ad server into using its AdX, the judge found. — Jody Godoy, USA Today, 2 Sep. 2026

Advertisers can now collaborate with EA in a privacy-safe way to improve targeting and gain deeper campaign insights using its new proprietary ad server. — Assiatou Hann, CNBC, 15 June 2026

In April, Brinkema ruled that Google illegally monopolized ad exchanges – which conduct lightning fast auctions that connect advertisers to websites with ad space – as well as tools used by sites to manage the inventory of space for sale, known as ad servers. — Bloomberg, Mercury News, 22 Sep. 2025

In some comical cases, the ads were served by Google’s ad server to Google’s own bots. — Nikita Ostrovsky, Time, 10 Sep. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1996, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for ad server

• observer
• preserver
• fervor
• fervour