virtual private network

noun

plural virtual private networks

: a private computer network that functions over a public network (such as the Internet) and usually utilizes data encryption to provide secure access to something (such as an internal business server or private network)

He persuaded its users to communicate through a virtual private network, or VPN, a secure channel that sends encrypted messages between computers …

—James Verini

Tony, like all savvy Internet thieves, uses a virtual private network that masks his computer's true Internet Protocol address every time he logs on.

—Joe Light

called also VPN

Examples of virtual private network in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

VPNs, or virtual private networks, that hide your IP address and online activity by routing your internet traffic through a different location, were a bust for most people. —Bailey Schulz, USA TODAY, 19 Jan. 2025

Also, what’s a VPN? VPN stands for virtual private network, and there are a lot of different kinds of VPNs. —Victoria Bekiempis, Vulture, 17 Jan. 2025

But to watch Telecinco in the US, American audiences will need a VPN (virtual private network), a service that allows users to set their computer’s location to another country and access websites that would otherwise be restricted by location. —Jenzia Burgos, StyleCaster, 10 Feb. 2025

In response a number of major pornography websites, including Pornhub, have blocked access from these states and interest in virtual private networks (VPNs) to circumvent this surged when the legislation came into effect. —Jonathan Granoff, Newsweek, 29 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1983, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for virtual private network

• artwork
• beadwork
• berserk
• breastwork
• brickwork
• brushwork
• casework
• classwork
• clockwork
• coursework
• ductwork
• earthwork

Kids Definition

virtual private network

noun

: a private computer network that functions over a public network (as the Internet) and usually uses data encryption to provide secure access to something (as an internal business server)