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

First, Musk encouraged Brazilians to use virtual private networks (VPNs) to evade the blockage. —Marietje Schaake, Foreign Affairs, 26 Sep. 2024

Some accounts have been using virtual private networks (VPNs) to access X, while others have tried to move their accounts to other platforms like Bluesky. —Daysia Tolentino, NBC News, 10 Sep. 2024

Shortly after, Musk said that restrictions were removed and urged users to download a virtual private network (VPN) to access X, in the case that the social network gets banned. —Arjun Kharpal, CNBC, 3 Sep. 2024

Now anyone caught accessing the site via a virtual private network (VPN) could end up paying 50,000 Brazilian reais ($8,910), far in excess of the 2,979 reais ($529.93) the average worker earns every month—or for that matter in a year. —Mahnoor Khan, Fortune, 31 Aug. 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)