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

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Eva Galperin, director of cybersecurity at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a nonprofit focused on digital rights, told CBS MoneyWatch that U.S. TikTok users would likely be able to circumvent the ban via VPN, though that approach does carry risks. —

Megan Cerullo, CBS News, 14 Jan. 2025 TikTok will not be accessible from an internet browser in the U.S. unless a user employs a VPN, which encrypts internet traffic and hides the user's IP address. —

Angrej Singh, Axios, 13 Jan. 2025 The switch to IPVanish from the previous partner, Hotspot Shield VPN, broadens your choices for VPN protocol. —

PCMAG, 17 Dec. 2024 Users who are able to use a virtual private network (VPN) to change their local IP address, however, may have a good chance of getting around the ban by rerouting their connection through another country. —

Mary Whitfill Roeloffs, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024 See all Example Sentences for VPN