cyberspace

American  

[sahy-ber-speys] / ˈsaɪ bərˌspeɪs /

noun

1. the realm of electronic communication.

2. virtual reality.

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cyberspace British  

/ ˈsaɪbəˌspeɪs /

noun

1. all of the data stored in a large computer or network represented as a three-dimensional model through which a virtual-reality user can move

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cyberspace Scientific  

/ sī′bər-spās′ /

1. The electronic medium of computer networks, in which online communication takes place.

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cyberspace Cultural  

1. The space in which computer transactions occur, particularly transactions between different computers. We say that images and text on the Internet exist in cyberspace, for example. The term is also often used in conjunction with virtual reality, designating the imaginary place where virtual objects exist. For example, if a computer produces a picture of a building that allows the architect to “walk” through and see what a design would look like, the building is said to exist in cyberspace.

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Etymology

Origin of cyberspace

First recorded in 1980–85; cyber(netics) ( def. ) + space ; coined by American-Canadian sci-fi author William Gibson (born 1948)

Explanation

Cyberspace is where online communication happens. If you've spent time chatting with friends on the Internet, you've been in cyberspace. The official definition of cyberspace is fairly technical: "the notional environment in which communication over computer networks occurs." Since it was coined in 1982 by science fiction writer William Gibson, it's become more popular to use cyberspace to mean "online" or "on the Internet," especially when social interactions happen there. Cyberspace is the almost metaphorical place where two people, separately typing on their keyboards, meet and communicate.

Example Sentences

"The first step toward free and regulated access to cyberspace has been taken," Mohammad Reza Aref wrote on X on Tuesday.

From BBC • May 26, 2026

"It signals a shift that could redefine the balance between attackers and defenders in cyberspace."

From Barron's • Apr. 10, 2026

But we no longer live exclusively in the age of the physical battlefield; we fight a parallel war in cyberspace, where U.S. dominance is challenged.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 31, 2026

I may be a relative nobody in cyberspace, but I usually get a few hundred views in the first hours after posting.

From Slate • Jan. 27, 2026

"Like I said, we can't—" "So what are you planning to do with him? Keep him con-fined indefinitely, without justification, while you go crawling through black holes in cyberspace?"

From "Holes" by Louis Sachar

Related Words

• computer network
• information technology
• web