hyperlink

American  

[hahy-per-lingk] / ˈhaɪ pərˌlɪŋk /

noun

1. link.

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verb (used with object)

1. to create digital connections between web pages or between elements on web pages using hypertext, or to have such links on or to a web page or electronic document.

   an extensively hyperlinked document.

verb (used without object)

1. to have, establish, or follow a connection from one web page or one object to another: I want to hyperlink from the table of contents to the specific articles in the newsletter.

   The app hyperlinks to content from social media feeds.

   I want to hyperlink from the table of contents to the specific articles in the newsletter.

   From their web page, you can hyperlink to employment sites.

hyperlink British  

/ ˈhaɪpəˌlɪŋk /

noun

1. a word, phrase, picture, icon, etc, in a computer document on which a user may click to move to another part of the document or to another document

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verb

1. (tr) to link (files) in this way

hyperlink Scientific  

/ hī′pər-lĭngk′ /

1. See link

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hyperlink Cultural  

1. A way of connecting different Web pages together on the Internet. A hyperlink is a word or graphic display on one Web page that allows a computer to shift to another related Web page. Also called a link.

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Etymology

Origin of hyperlink

First recorded in 1990–95; hyper- ( def. ) + link ¹ (in the computer sense)

Explanation

A hyperlink is a bit of text on a web site that takes you to another site when you click on it. Most hyperlinks are highlighted in a different color from the surrounding text. In computing, hyperlinks are hidden bits of code that take you from one location to another. You can usually hover over a hyperlink and see its address, and often your cursor changes from an arrow to a pointing finger. When you click on a hyperlink, it opens a new site or file in your existing window, or in a new window or tab. The idea of hyperlinks has been around since the 1960s, with the word being coined in 1987.

Example Sentences

The same year, an alert in Sonoma County was sent to a larger area than intended, while another included a hyperlink to an evacuation map for the 2016 Kincade fire.

From Los Angeles Times • Jan. 24, 2025

Players occasionally receive tips via an in-game mail service, leading to a hyperlink or message board that kick-starts an investigation.

From New York Times • Feb. 5, 2024

A hyperlink popped up that said “women botanists,” and I was curious, so I clicked on it.

From Scientific American • Jun. 5, 2023

And, in a rather mischievous twist, one time the entire text of an article on climate change was turned into a hyperlink.

From BBC • Dec. 23, 2021

The text in the list of illustrations matches the original; each hyperlink in the illustration list links to the page number closest to the image’s placement.

From Our Southern Highlanders by Kephart, Horace