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online

play
adjective on·line \ ˈȯn-ˈlīn , ˈän-ˈlīn \

Definition of online

:connected to, served by, or available through a system and especially a computer or telecommunications system (such as the Internet)
  • an online database
; also :done while connected to such a system
  • online shopping
  • online games
  • online searching
—

online

adverb

See online defined for English-language learners

See online defined for kids

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Examples of online in a Sentence

  1. The city libraries are all online.

  2. He likes to engage in online chats.

Recent Examples of online from the Web

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'online.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

First Known Use of online

1950

Other Computer-Related Terms

adware, flash, kludge, phishing, recursive, router

ONLINE Defined for English Language Learners

online

play
adjective

Definition of online for English Language Learners

  • : connected to a computer, a computer network, or the Internet

  • : done over the Internet

ONLINE Defined for Kids

online

play
adjective or adverb on·line \ ˈȯn-ˌlīn , ˈän- \

Definition of online for Students

:connected to, directly controlled by, or available through a computer system
  • an online database
  • working online

Learn More about online

  1. See words that rhyme with online Spanish Central: Translation of online Nglish: Translation of online for Spanish speakers Britannica English: Translation of online for Arabic speakers

Seen and Heard

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Examples: online in a Sentence