cyber

¹ American  

[sahy-ber] / ˈsaɪ bər /

noun

1. (used alone as a substitute for many compound words that begin with the combining form cyber-, as cyberattack, cybersecurity, cyberterrorism, orcyberwarfare ): Ethical hackers are being recruited for careers in cyber.

   GPS may be vulnerable to jamming and cyber.

   Ethical hackers are being recruited for careers in cyber.

---

adjective

1. of or relating to computers, typically to one of the technology domains named with the combining form cyber-, as cyberterrorism, cyberwarfare, or cyberattack: several cyber breaches; cyber plots.

   a cyber threat;

   several cyber breaches;

   cyber operations;

   cyber plots.

verb (used without object)

1. to engage in cybersex.

   People playing the MMO were cybering in voice chat, sometimes without even creating a separate channel to keep it private.

cyber- ² American  

Digital Technology.

1. a combining form meaning “computer,” “computer network,” or “virtual reality,” used in the formation of compound words (cybertalk; cyberart; cyberspace ) and by extension meaning “expressing visions of the future” (cyberfashion ).

---

cyber- British  

combining form

1. indicating computers

   cyberphobia

---

cyber– Scientific  

1. A prefix that means “computer” or “computer network,” as in cyberspace, the electronic medium in which online communication takes place.

---

Usage

What does cyber- mean? Cyber- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “computer” or "computer network." In many instances, it is used to refer generally to the internet. It is often used in technical terms, especially in computer science. Cyber- comes from a shortening of the term cybernetics, meaning “the study of communication and control in humans and mechanical systems.” Cybernetics ultimately comes from Greek kybernḗtēs, meaning "helmsman" or "steersman.” Learn more about cybernetics (and how it is related to the word govern) at our entry for the term.

Etymology

Origin of cyber¹

First recorded in 1990–95; from cyber- ( def. )

Origin of cyber-²

Extracted from cybernetics

Example Sentences

“The work of defending the world’s cyber infrastructure might take years; frontier AI capabilities are likely to advance substantially over just the next few months,” Anthropic says.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 8, 2026

“While we acknowledge that Anthropic could still be engineering its own cyber products in lower-barrier areas, we see the urgency of the partnership as indicative of core cyber’s relative insulation from AI disintermediation,” he said.

From MarketWatch • Apr. 7, 2026

Police last month detained 16 people allegedly linked to the Mazzarella clan on charges of cyber fraud.

From BBC • Apr. 4, 2026

Its passage aimed to "send a message to cyber scammers that Cambodia is not a place to do scams".

From Barron's • Apr. 3, 2026

Internet banking, Internet gambling, day trading, foreign exchange cyber transactions, e-cash, e-commerce, fictitious invoicing of the launderer's genuine credit cards - hold the promise of the future.

From Crime and Corruption by Vaknin, Samuel

Related Words

• computerized