USB

American

abbreviation

Computers.

universal serial bus: an external serial bus interface standard for connecting peripheral devices to a computer, as in a or .

USB British

abbreviation

Universal Serial Bus: a standard for connection sockets on computers and other electronic equipment

"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

Etymology

Origin of USB

First recorded in 1995

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:

USB

The USB Implementers Forum maintains a rigorous certification process for products—from laptops and cellphones to chargers and electric toothbrushes—bearing the USB logo, says Jeff Ravencraft, USB-IF’s president and chief operations officer.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 13, 2026

In the arrest raid, investigators seized multiple devices from his bedroom, including laptops, desktop computers, hard drives and USB storage devices.

From BBC ● Jun. 25, 2026

The recordings came to light last July when a California state officer discovered a USB camera inside the men’s employee locker room and notified the California Highway Patrol, which launched a probe, according to prosecutors.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 24, 2026

"Just as a USB adapter allows devices with different connectors to work together, Floquet magnons could bridge frequencies that would otherwise remain incompatible."

From Science Daily ● Mar. 27, 2026

Memory is not a dispensable resource that can be outsourced to USB sticks or even libraries; memory is the stuff we think with.

From "Words Like Loaded Pistols" by Sam Leith

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023