online

or on-line, on line

[ on-lahyn, awn- ]

/ ˈɒnˈlaɪn, ˈɔn- /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR online ON THESAURUS.COM

adjective

operating under the direct control of, or connected to, a main computer.

connected by computer to one or more other computers or networks, as through a commercial electronic information service or the Internet.

of or denoting a business that transmits electronic information over telecommunications lines: an online bookstore.

available or operating on a computer or computer network: an online dictionary.

by means of or using a computer: online shopping.

Radio. (of a network) supplying affiliated stations with all or a substantial part of their programming.

Television. of or relating to the final editing of a videotaped program.

done or accomplished while in operation or active service: online maintenance.

located on major routes or rail lines: online industries.

adverb

with or through a computer, especially over a network.

Nearby words

onkelos, onkus, onlap, onlay, onliest, online, online catalog, online dictionary, online thesaurus, onliner, onload

Compare offline.

Origin of online

First recorded in 1945–50

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

Examples from the Web for online

Most of it is taken up by a graphic inviting the visitor to participate in the 2016 online presidential straw poll.
Today’s GOP: Still Cool With Racist Pandering?|Michael Tomasky|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
We did ThunderAnt stuff for ourselves and just put it online, and then it blossomed into something else.
Coffee Talk with Fred Armisen: On ‘Portlandia,’ Meeting Obama, and Taylor Swift’s Greatness|Marlow Stern|January 7, 2015|DAILY BEAST
These online communities are establishing familial bonds between strangers.
‘We Out Here’: Inside the New Black Travel Movement|Charlise Ferguson|January 4, 2015|DAILY BEAST
These days, plenty of women are turning to online sites for no-frills male companionship.
Career-Minded Women Turn to Male Escorts For No-Strings Fun and (Maybe) Sex|Aurora Snow|January 3, 2015|DAILY BEAST

Furthermore, checking online IP reputation services reveals that they have been used by malware operators in the past.
No, North Korea Didn’t Hack Sony|Marc Rogers|December 24, 2014|DAILY BEAST
Ange found me online again and we IM-flirted until late at night again.
Little Brother|Cory Doctorow
Page 540: 'enterprisee' corrected to 'enterprises', as 1586 online edition.
Holinshed Chronicles, Volume I, Complete|Raphaell Holinshed
Page 287: 'calla breakefast' corrected to 'call a breakefast', as 1587 online edition.
Chronicles (1 of 6): The Description of Britaine|Raphaell Holinshed
Like all Harajuku Fun Madness clues, it had a physical, online and mental component.
Little Brother|Cory Doctorow
Page 566: 'whreof' corrected to 'wherof', as 1587 online edition.
Holinshed Chronicles, Volume I, Complete|Raphaell Holinshed

British Dictionary definitions for online

online

on-line

/ (ˈɒnˌlaɪn) /

adjective

of, relating to, or concerned with a peripheral device that is directly connected to and controlled by the central processing unit of a computer

of or relating to the internetonline shopping

occurring as part of, or involving, a continuous sequence of operations, such as a production line

adverb

while connected to a computer or the internet

See offline

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

Science definitions for online

online

[ ŏn′līn′ ]

Connected to or accessible by means of a computer or computer network.

Culture definitions for online

online

A term referring to locations on or use of the Internet. The term can be used to refer to a specific location or Web page (“Our sales catalogues can be found online at — ”) or to a personal activity (“I went online to find the information you wanted.”)