always-on

adjective

al·​ways-on ˈȯl-wēz-ˈȯn 

-ˈän, 

-wəz-, 

-(ˌ)wāz-

also ˈȯ-

: always active, operating, or powered

an always-on Internet connection

When a power shortage occurs and electricity costs rise, the always-on devices scattered throughout … your facility consume increasingly expensive power.

—Gilbert Held

Examples of always-on in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In other words, the website becomes an always-on listening tool. — Dave Foster, Forbes.com, 18 Aug. 2026

Apple’s estimates are also traditionally conservative, and the 46mm Series 11 lasted 43 hours in testing with the always-on display enabled. — Andrew Gebhart, PC Magazine, 15 Aug. 2026

That approach could reduce the amount of expensive compute used by always-on agents, particularly systems that perform thousands of small actions over long periods. — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 11 Aug. 2026

Meta Platform rose nearly 2% this morning after the introduction of Muse Glimmer, a model the company said is optimize for always-on local agent workflows. — Jeff Marks, CNBC, 10 Aug. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1976, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for always-on

• aileron
• antiphon
• autobahn
• carillon
• castellan
• celadon
• cephalon
• cynodon
• denouement
• deuteron
• echelon
• epsilon