virtual reality

noun

|Updated on: 17 Aug 2018

Definition of virtual reality

: an artificial environment which is experienced through sensory stimuli (such as sights and sounds) provided by a computer and in which one's actions partially determine what happens in the environment; also : the technology used to create or access a virtual reality

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See virtual reality defined for kids

Recent Examples of virtual reality from the Web

Crume's virtual reality company opened in February near Castleton Square Pavilion.

— megan henry, Indianapolis Star, "How 1 Million Cups is helping Indianapolis' start-ups grow," 6 July 2018
Palmer Luckey—yes, that Palmer Luckey, the 25-year-old entrepreneur who founded the virtual reality company Oculus, sold it to Facebook, and then left Facebook in a haze of political controversy—hands me a Samsung Gear VR headset.

— steven levy, WIRED, "Inside Palmer Luckey’s Bid to Build A Border Wall," 11 June 2018
Ramamurthy, who’s a Tufts grad, plays the chief oneirologist — oneirology is the study of dreams — at a virtual reality company.

— sophie cannon, BostonGlobe.com, "Sendhil Ramamurthy talks Tufts, tennis, TV, and ‘Reverie’," 5 June 2018
Nearly four years ago, Facebook paid roughly $2 billion to acquire the virtual reality company Oculus, yet since then, Oculus has continued operating as a formal, separate entity.

— sam machkovech, Ars Technica, "Facebook changes an Oculus division’s name, invents term “Facebook Reality”," 7 May 2018
Despite years of investment from some of the music industry’s most prominent leaders, the future of virtual reality for music remains surprisingly nebulous.

— cherie hu, Billboard, "TheWaveVR Raises $6 Million Series A Round to Bring Social, Interactive VR Music Experiences to the Masses," 23 Apr. 2018
Luckey, 25, was the founder of Oculus VR, a virtual reality company best known for its Oculus Rift headsets.

— Time, "Ted Cruz Asked Mark Zuckerberg About Palmer Luckey. Here's Who He Is," 10 Apr. 2018
For more than a decade Patrick Bordnick, the dean of Tulane University's School of Social Work, has investigated the possibility that the world of virtual reality could be used in addiction treatment.

— maria clark, NOLA.com, "Virtual reality could be a powerful tool to fight addiction, Tulane dean says," 24 Jan. 2018
San Antonio virtual reality company Merge unveiled Sunday two new gaming devices at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas — the world’s largest consumer tech show.

— samantha ehlinger, San Antonio Express-News, "San Antonio company debuts gaming device at consumer tech show in Vegas," 7 Jan. 2018

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

First Known Use of virtual reality

1987

in the meaning defined above

See Words from the same year

NEW! Time Traveler

VIRTUAL REALITY Defined for English Language Learners

virtual reality

noun

Definition of virtual reality for English Language Learners

: an artificial world of images and sounds created by a computer that is affected by the actions of a person who is experiencing it

VIRTUAL REALITY Defined for Kids

virtual reality

noun

Definition of virtual reality for Students

: an artificial environment which is experienced through sights and sounds provided by a computer and in which a person's actions partly decide what happens in the environment