Internet

noun

In·​ter·​net ˈin-tər-ˌnet 

variants or internet

: an electronic communications network that connects computer networks and organizational computer facilities around the world

—used with the except when being used attributively

doing research on the Internet

an Internet search

Note: In U.S. publications, the capitalized form Internet continues to be more common than internet, although the lowercase form is rapidly gaining more widespread use. In British publications, internet is now the more common form.

compare world wide web

Examples of Internet in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Long-term, Wang expects a handful of technology names to come out on top given today’s high AI costs relative to the open and decentralized Internet craze of the 1990s and the 2000s. —Samantha Subin, CNBC, 2 Nov. 2024

Hasn’t been no street presence, no Internet presence, no singles, no videos, no nothing. —Angel Diaz, Billboard, 1 Nov. 2024

On a recent early morning in Mexico City, two men from the International Rescue Committee (IRC) secure tables, a medical privacy screen, and a satellite Internet kit to a flatbed truck with neon-green straps. —Whitney Eulich, The Christian Science Monitor, 1 Nov. 2024

Honeywell Forge, an Internet of Things platform that includes information from industrial designs, manuals, and real-world performance of Honeywell products, will leverage Google Cloud’s Vertex AI and Google’s large language models to build AI agents trained on this data. —Eric Rosenbaum, CNBC, 21 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1986, in the meaning defined above

Phrases Containing Internet

• Internet of Things
• Internet service provider
• the Internet
• Voice over Internet Protocol

Kids Definition

Internet

noun

In·​ter·​net ˈint-ər-ˌnet 

: a communications system that connects computers and computer networks all over the world