LAN

British  

abbreviation

1. local area network

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LAN Scientific  

/ lăn /

1. 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.

2. See also client/server network peer-to-peer network

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LAN Cultural  

1. Acronym for l ocal a rea n etwork. This is a type of limited computer network that often exists within a company or organization, usually within a small geographical area.

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Example Sentences

Under that, you’ll find an option to allow access to your LAN while connected to the VPN.

From Salon • Mar. 21, 2026

The case’s outcome was being closely watched because there are other cases pending against Veolia and LAN.

From Seattle Times • Dec. 15, 2022

The airline, created by the 2012 merger of Chile's LAN with Brazilian rival TAM, operates units in Chile, Brazil, Colombia and Peru.

From Reuters • Nov. 9, 2022

This shot of the Spurs features a LAN party, a way for gamers in the ’90s to interconnect computers and play head-to-head.

From Washington Post • Oct. 13, 2022

You don't really start admiring geek qualities until one of them saves your ass by bringing back your corporate LAN or fixing the missile telemetry.

From "Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho" by Jon Katz