local area network

noun

a system for linking private telecommunications equipment, as in a building or cluster of buildings.

Computers. a system for linking personal computers and workstations with each other in order to share data, devices, programs, etc.: usually confined to one office, building, or home.Compare network(def 3).

Also LAN

[lan] /læn/.

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for lan

Contemporary Examples of lan

The state news agency, LAN, put the death toll on both sides at only 22 with hundreds injured.
Ex-Gaddafi Stronghold Surrenders to Pro-Government Forces
Jamie Dettmer
October 24, 2012

Historical Examples of lan

I unnerstan' weel eneuch hoo to measur' lan', an' that kin' o' thing.
David Elginbrod
George MacDonald
I do the collectin' for my lan'lord an' he give me a room free.
Slave Narratives Vol. XIV. South Carolina, Part 2
Works Projects Administration
The Paris figures are cited from the Annuaire pour lan 1852-53.
A History of Epidemics in Britain, Volume II (of 2)
Charles Creighton
"I've understood that he was onsuccessful as a lan'lord," said the lady.
The Complete Works of Artemus Ward
Charles Farrar Browne (AKA Artemus Ward)
When they had gone, the lan'lord said, "Come into the garden, Ward."
The Complete Works of Artemus Ward
Charles Farrar Browne (AKA Artemus Ward)

British Dictionary definitions for lan

LAN

abbreviation for

local area network

noun

computing the linking of a number of different devices by cable within a systemAbbreviation: LAN

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

lan in Science

LAN

[lăn]

Short for local area network. A network that links together computers and peripheral equipment within a limited area, such as a building or a group of buildings. The computers in an LAN have independent central processing units, but they are able to exchange data with each other and to share resources such as printers. See also client/server network peer-to-peer network.

local area network

[lō′kəl]

See LAN.

lan in Culture

LAN

Acronym for local area network. This is a type of limited computer network that often exists within a company or organization, usually within a small geographical area.