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URL

American  

abbreviation

Computers.
  1. Uniform Resource Locator: a protocol for specifying addresses on the internet.

  2. an address that identifies a particular file on the internet, usually consisting of the protocol, as http, followed by the domain name.


URL British  

abbreviation

  1. uniform resource locator; a standardized address of a location on the internet, esp on the World Wide Web

"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

URL Scientific  
/ yo̅o̅′är-ĕl /
  1. Short for Uniform Resource Locator. An Internet address (for example, http://www.hmco.com/trade/), usually consisting of the access protocol (http), the domain name (www.hmco.com), and optionally the path to a file or resource residing on that server (trade).


URL Cultural  
  1. An abbreviation for U niversal R esource L ocator, a title that refers to the formal address of a document on the Internet.


Etymology

Origin of URL

First recorded in 1990–95

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

See Examples For:

You will always be able to determine whether it is or not by looking at the URL: Federal government sites end in “.gov.”

From MarketWatch Jul. 30, 2026

They found that about 2.4% of the URL requests were unsafe.

From The Wall Street Journal Dec. 9, 2025

An attempt was made to access the URL as early as 05:16.

From BBC Dec. 1, 2025

Whereas yesteryear web browsers accessed the internet through a URL and search box, future internet access will be through the chat experience and a web browser, Altman said.

From Los Angeles Times Oct. 21, 2025

Before I change my mind, I copy the URL for Noah’s post on LostConnections and email it to Brian Connelly from an anonymous email account I make up.

From "I'll Give You the Sun" by Jandy Nelson

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