: connected to, served by, or available through a system and especially a computer or telecommunications system (such as the Internet)
an online database
also : done while connected to such a system
online shopping
online games
online searching
online adverb

Examples of online in a Sentence

The city libraries are all online. He likes to engage in online chats.
Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Daniel Parekh-Hill, 28, is giving brands the ability to choose delivery dates for online orders, allowing businesses to anticipate volume and excess orders during peak ordering times through his company Flare. Katherine Love, Forbes.com, 15 Apr. 2025 Some Forever 21 stores remain open for in-person shopping and online orders were still being filled, as of Monday, April 14. Jonathan Limehouse, USA Today, 14 Apr. 2025 Trump and Zuckerberg have a complicated history, with the president being critical of the Silicon Valley CEO's management of online censorship, which culminated in a ban from Meta platforms after the January 6 riots. Thomas G. Moukawsher, MSNBC Newsweek, 14 Apr. 2025 The free versions of Joplin, another Editors' Choice winner, and Obsidian don't support online file storage but are otherwise feature-complete. PC Magazine, 14 Apr. 2025 See All Example Sentences for online

Word History

First Known Use

1950, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of online was in 1950

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Online.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/online. Accessed 19 Apr. 2025.

Kids Definition

online

adjective
ˈȯn-ˈlīn,
ˈän-
: relating to or connected to a computer or telecommunications system (as the Internet)
an online database
online adverb

More from Merriam-Webster on online

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!