adjective / adverb
online
on-LYNE/ˌɑːnˈlaɪn/
Connected to or operating through the internet or another network.
The two adults meet online through a live laptop video connection.
Etymology
Line developed from a thread or cord to a communications wire. Being on a line supplied the connection image: online first described a computer directly connected to a peripheral device, before its internet use.
In context
traditionally by the paper being sold or distributed at newsstands, shops, and libraries, and, since the 1990s, made available over the Internet with online newspaper websites.
More examples
- I buy groceries online and pick them up after work.
- She takes an online class every Tuesday.
- The server is back online after a brief outage.
Similar words
- connected
- Connected can describe any link, not just a network connection.
- networked
- Networked emphasizes devices linked together rather than internet activity.