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

When India banned TikTok in 2020, users found workarounds like VPNs (virtual private networks) and changing their phone’s location. —Clare Mulroy, USA TODAY, 18 June 2024

Australia's safety regulator considered this inadequate because roughly 25 percent of Australians use virtual private networks to mask their locations online. —Ashley Belanger, Ars Technica, 13 May 2024

Although the regime has banned many websites and social media platforms, Iranians have found ways to bypass censorship through the use of virtual private networks, or VPNs. —Masih Alinejad, Foreign Affairs, 18 Oct. 2022

VPNs, or virtual private networks, are software tools designed to help protect your privacy and device security when connected to the internet. —Kate Irwin, PCMAG, 10 June 2024

Various strategies for staying on TikTok are available to tech-savvy users, including using a VPN (virtual private network) or changing the phone location to fool the app stores. —Grace Tucker, The Enquirer, 26 Apr. 2024

In the letter, Nissan North America said a bad actor attacked a company virtual private network and demanded payment. —Khristopher J. Brooks, CBS News, 15 May 2024

That allows the footage to be seen outside the country and by Australian users who use a virtual private network (VPN) to change their online location. —Patrick Frater, Variety, 13 May 2024

But given that the network can continue broadcasting from Gaza and that its mainly Arab audience can still view the channel using virtual private networks or YouTube, many Israeli commentators called the move symbolic at most. —Liam Stack, New York Times, 9 May 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1983, in the meaning defined above

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)