online

American  

[on-lahyn, awn-] / ˈɒnˈlaɪn, ˈɔn- /

Or on-line,

adjective

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

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

3. of or denoting a business that transmits electronic information over telecommunications lines.

   an online bookstore.

4. available or operating on a computer or computer network.

   an online dictionary.

5. by means of or using a computer.

   online shopping.

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

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

8. done or accomplished while in operation or active service.

   online maintenance.

9. located on major routes or rail lines.

   online industries.

---

adverb

1. with or through a computer, especially over a network.

online British  

/ ˈɒnˌlaɪn /

adjective

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

2. of or relating to the internet

   online shopping

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

---

adverb

1. while connected to a computer or the internet

online Scientific  

/ ŏn′līn′ /

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

---

online Cultural  

1. 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.”)

---

Etymology

Origin of online

First recorded in 1915–20 (in sense “located on rail lines”); 1945–50 for other senses

Example Sentences

And she advises her to play around with online retirement-planning tools to stress-test scenarios such as a job loss, health events and living to 100.

From The Wall Street Journal

Microsoft, Meta, Alphabet and Amazon were all capacity constrained in the fourth quarter of 2025, meaning that the demand for AI infrastructure is growing faster than they can bring data centers online.

From MarketWatch

He started biking around his neighborhood, visiting garage sales and thrift stores, buying whatever he could carry to sell online.

From Los Angeles Times

Or, in the words of Harris herself, it’s “where you can go online to get basically the latest of what’s going on, and also to meet and revisit with some of our great courageous leaders.”

From Salon

Zambia's president has weighed into a cultural debate that has erupted online after the president of Ghana arrived in Zambia wearing a traditional outfit called a fugu.

From BBC