router

¹ American  

[rou-ter] / ˈraʊ tər /

noun

1. any of various tools or machines for routing, hollowing out, or furrowing.

2. Also called router plane.  Carpentry. a plane for cutting interior angles, as at the bottom of a groove.

3. a machine or tool for cutting into or below a main surface, as of a die or engraving plate.

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verb (used with object)

1. to cut with a router.

router ² American  

[roo-ter, rou-] / ˈru tər, ˈraʊ- /

noun

1. a person or thing that routes.

2. a piece of hardware or software having a specific IP address and connected to network nodes for the transfer of data between computers.

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router ¹ British  

/ ˈraʊtə /

noun

1. any of various tools or machines for hollowing out, cutting grooves, etc

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router ² British  

/ ˈruːtə /

noun

1. computing a device that allows packets of data to be moved efficiently between two points on a network

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router Scientific  

/ rou′tər /

1. A device in a network that handles message transfers between computers. A router receives information and forwards it based on what the router determines to be the most efficient route at the time of transfer.

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Etymology

Origin of router¹

First recorded in 1840–50; rout ² + -er ¹

Origin of router²

First recorded in 1900–05; route + -er ¹

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

router

Connected devices routinely send information back to the router to help optimize wireless communication.

From Science Daily ● Aug. 12, 2026

“You don’t always have to send those routine tasks to the bigger model, but the router will continuously balance quality, latency, and cost,” Briski said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 11, 2026

That revenue will also come from the ramp of Broadcom’s next-generation Jericho 4 scale-across router platform, Tomahawk Ultra scale-up Ethernet networking and digital signal processors, Sur said.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 2, 2026

"They started coming from everywhere, from the wi-fi router, under the kettle, the toaster and all the switchboards. We would cook and they would keep coming from the sockets, from under the microwave."

From BBC ● May 28, 2026

Nurse Evil turns off the router and our communication ends.

From "Everything, Everything" by Nicola Yoon