Online Definition: Connected to the Internet Explained

Meaning 1：connected to the internet (online)

online 🔊

/ˈɑːnlaɪn/

adj.

connected to a system of computers, especially the Internet, so you can use it.

Person using laptop online at home desk with natural light

connected to the internet 🔊

➕

/kəˈnektɪd tuː ðə ˈɪntərnet/

adj.

Describes a state of being connected to a computer network, especially the Internet, enabling access to services like email, browsing, and social media.

📁 Category：Technological Inventions 🔖 Level：Elementary

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

The word 'online' is formed from 'on' and 'line', originally meaning being connected to a line or network.

💡 Mnemonic

Think of a computer 'on a line' – like a phone line connection.

📖 Example

My grandma learned how to use online banking to pay bills from home. 🔊 My grandma learned how to use online banking to pay bills from home.

🔗 Collocations

online shopping – the activity of buying goods or services over the Internet

online payment – a method of paying for goods or services electronically over the Internet

online course – a educational course conducted over the Internet

🔄 Synonyms

connected (adj.) – Being joined or linked to a network or the Internet.

linked (adj.) – Connected to or associated with a network or system.

virtual (adj.) – Existing or occurring on the Internet or a computer network, not physically.

🚫 Antonyms

offline (adj.) – Not connected to a computer network or the Internet.

disconnected (adj.) – Not linked to a network or system.

🌱 Derivatives

online (adv.) – in a way that involves or uses the Internet

onlineness (n.) – the state or quality of being online

📖 Cultural Story

The term 'online' emerged in the 1970s with the rise of computer networks, originally meaning 'connected to a central computer'. It became widespread with the Internet in the 1990s.