cyber
1 Americannoun
adjective
verb (used without object)
combining form
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
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
“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
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.