Router Meaning: Definition and Usage

Meaning 1：internet routing device (Router)

Router 🔊

/ˈruːtər/

A small box that connects your home to the internet and sends the signal to your devices like phones and computers, often creating WiFi.

Router device with antennas and WiFi waves on shelf

internet routing device 🔊

➕

/ˈɪntərnɛt ˈruːtɪŋ dɪˈvaɪs/

A small electronic device that connects computer networks and directs data packets between them, typically used in homes to provide internet access to multiple devices.

📁 Category：Technological Inventions 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

Route (path) + -er (agent suffix) => a device that determines paths for data.

💡 Mnemonic

Think of a small box that 'routes' your internet like a traffic cop directs cars.

📖 Example

I couldn't connect my phone to the WiFi, so I went and restarted the router. 🔊 I couldn't connect my phone to the WiFi, so I went and restarted the router.

🔗 Collocations

restart the router – turn the router off and on again to fix connectivity issues

router settings – the configuration page of a router accessed via a web browser

wireless router – a router that also provides WiFi connectivity

🔄 Synonyms

wireless router (n.) – a router that includes WiFi access point functionality

broadband router (n.) – a router designed for broadband internet connections

network gateway (n.) – a device that connects a local network to the internet, often combining router functions

🌱 Derivatives

routing (n.) – the process of directing data packets across networks

route (v.) – to send data along a specific path

📖 Cultural Story

Originally a term for a person who routes, adopted in computing in the 1970s for devices directing network traffic.