Macmillan English Dictionary: Glossary

Internet terms

This glossary contains words and phrases that you may come across on the Internet, or when people speak or write about the Internet. Click on a letter to jump to the relevant section of the alphabet.

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

A
account	an arrangement you have with a company or Internet provider to use a service they provide
address	a series of letters, numbers, and symbols that show you where to find a particular website on the Internet synonym: URL address or email address: a series of letters, numbers, and symbols that you need to send someone an email message
address book	a piece of computer software that you use to record people’s names, addresses, telephone numbers, email addresses etc
ADSL	asymmetric digital subscriber line: a method of connecting a computer to the Internet that allows very fast exchange of information, and allows you to be connected at all times without having to pay any extra money
always-on	an always-on Internet connection allows you to remain online (= connected to the Internet) all the time
anonymous FTP	anonymous file transfer protocol: a set of rules for moving computer files from one computer to another, especially over the Internet, without having to say who you are or use a password
archive	a copy of information that is put on the Internet so that other people can use it
attach	to send something with something else, for example a file with an email
attachment	a computer file that you send with an email
avatar	a picture on a computer screen that represents a particular computer user, especially one of several users who are having a conversation with each other on the Internet
B
B2B	business-to-business: relating to a type of business activity in which companies use the Internet to trade with each other
B2C	business-to-consumer: relating to a type of business activity in which companies use the Internet to sell products and services directly to customers
bandwidth	the amount of information that can be sent each second through an Internet connection. If a system has a high bandwidth, it is called a broadband connection.
blog	a biographical web log: a type of diary (= record of what someone does each day) on a website that is changed regularly, to give the latest news. The page usually contains someone’s personal opinions, comments, and experiences, and provides links to other places on the Internet.
Bluetooth™	a type of radio technology that makes it possible for electronic communication to exist between mobile phones, the Internet, and computers
bookmark (noun)	an electronic way of marking an Internet website so that you can easily find it again
bookmark (verb)	to mark an Internet website in an electronic way so that you can easily find it again
Boolean	a Boolean search is one using the words ‘and’, ‘or’, and ‘not’ to find a word or combination of words using an Internet search engine. For example you could ask to search for ‘car or automobile’, or ‘New York and not New York state’.
bot	a computer program that works automatically, especially one that can find information for you on the Internet
bounce	if an email message bounces, it is sent back to you without reaching the person you sent it to
bps	bits per second: a unit for measuring the rate at which information can be sent over an Internet line
bricks-and-mortar	a bricks-and-mortar business is a traditional business that does not operate on the Internet compare clicks-and-mortar
browse	to look for information on a computer, especially on the Internet to look at a website on the Internet
browser	a computer program that allows you to look at and search through information on the Internet
bulletin board	a place on a computer system or on the Internet where you can leave messages and read messages from other people
C
cc	used on a business letter or email for saying that a copy is being sent to the person mentioned
chat	to exchange messages with someone using a computer so that you are able to see each other’s messages immediately, especially on the Internet
chat group	a group of people who regularly exchange messages on the Internet, especially people who share an interest
chat room	an area on the Internet or a computer network where people can exchange messages compare newsgroup
click rate	the number of times a website is visited in a particular period of time
clicks-and-mortar	used for describing a business that operates in traditional ways and by using the Internet (From bricks and mortar, a way of referring to houses, flats or other buildings) compare bricks-and-mortar
com	commercial organization: used in Internet addresses
connect time	the amount of time that a computer is logged on (=connected) to another computer through a modem. Many Internet Service Providers charge their customers according to their connect time.
cookie	a file containing information about the user of a computer that is connected to a network or to the Internet
cyber-	relating to computers and the Internet: used with some adjectives and nouns
cybercafé	a café with computers so that customers can use the Internet
cyberspace	the imaginary place that emails and other pieces of information pass through when they are going from one computer to another
D
digerati	people who have a lot of technical knowledge of computers and the Internet (formed from digital and literati (=people who know a lot about books))
digital signature	a secret way of adding your name to an electronic message to prove that you are who you say you are. Digital signatures are used when you buy goods or make agreements on the Internet.
discussion group	a group of people who use the Internet to exchange ideas on a particular subject
domain name	an address on the Internet
dot	the way you say the symbol . in an Internet or email address: The URL is www dot, google dot, com
dot.com (adjective)	relating to the companies that do business using the Internet
dot.com (noun)	a company that uses the Internet to sell its products and services
dot commer	someone who works at a dot.com
download (verb)	to move information to your computer from a computer system or the Internet
download (noun)	the process of downloading information to your computer a downloaded computer file
E
e-	on or using the Internet: used with some nouns for making new words e-business… e-learning… e-finance
e-book	a book published on the Internet
e-business	[uncount] business done on the Internet [count] a company that operates on the Internet synonym: dot.com
e-cash	money that exists in electronic form and is used to pay for things over the Internet
e-commerce	buying and selling goods on the Internet
edu	educational institution: used in Internet addresses
email (noun)	a system for sending messages from one computer to another the messages that you receive by email a written message sent by email
email (verb)	to send a message to someone by email
email address	a name and address that you use to receive email on the Internet
emoticon	a symbol that you type in an email or text message to show how you feel. For example the emoticon :-) means happy or friendly
e-signature	electronic signature: a way of adding your name to an electronic document such as an email, used when you are buying goods or making agreements on the Internet
e-tailer	a company that sells things on the Internet
e-tailing	the business of selling things on the Internet
e-zine	a magazine that you can read on the Internet
F
face time	time spent with other people rather than communicating with them by phone, email, or on the Internet
fanfic	stories for a television series written by people who watch the series regularly. The stories are published on the Internet.
FAQ	frequently asked questions: a list of questions with answers provided, intended to help people understand or use something, especially on the Internet
filter	a computer program that prevents some types of information from appearing on your computer when you search the Internet
flame (noun)	an angry email or an email that insults someone
flame (verb)	to send an angry or insulting message over the Internet
forward slash	the symbol /, often used in Internet addresses and computer instructions
frame	a box on an Internet page that contains information you can scroll through (=go up and down by using the mouse). Pages usually contain several frames.
freeware	computer software that is available free on CD-ROM or from the Internet. Software that you use free for a short time then pay for is called shareware.
FTP	file transfer protocol: a set of rules for moving computer files from one computer to another in a network, especially over the Internet
G
gopher	a system that allows people to connect to Internet sites that are not part of the World Wide Web
H
hit	a visit by someone to a particular site on the Internet a piece of information that a computer program finds for you
home page	a place on the Internet where a person or an organization gives information about themselves or their business a place on the Internet that you choose to appear first on your computer screen each time you look at the Internet
hook up	if you hook up to the Internet, you become connected to it through your computer
hot link	a connection from one computer document to another by means of hypertext, especially on the Internet
hot list	a list of website addresses stored in someone’s computer or shown on an Internet website
HTML	hypertext markup language: the computer language used for writing pages on the Internet
http	hypertext transfer (or transport) protocol: the system used on the Internet to exchange documents in HTML
hyperlink	a word or image in a computer document that you can click on in order to move to a related document, word, or image synonym: link
hypertext	a computer system in which you can click on a word or image in order to move to a related document, word, or image
I
inbox	the place on a computer program where emails arrive for you
information superhighway, the	the Internet and other computer networks that allow people to share information
instant messaging	the activity of communicating with someone directly over the Internet and replying to their messages as soon as they arrive
internaut	someone who uses the Internet, especially someone experienced in using it
Internet, the	a computer system that allows people in different parts of the world to exchange information. You can use the Internet to get information from websites and to send and receive messages by email. The Internet is often simply called the Net.
internet café	a café where people can pay to use the Internet, send emails etc synonym cybercafé
Internet Service Provider	an ISP
intranet	a network (=system connecting computers) within an organization that only members of that organization can use compare Internet
IP address	Internet Protocol address: a code that represents a particular computer and is used to send messages to it on a network (= group of computers) or the Internet
ISDN	Integrated Services Digital Network: a system using telephone connections for sending information between computers. ISDN is a slower system than ADSL.
ISP	Internet service provider: a company that provides a connection to the Internet
J
Java™	a computer programming language that allows computer software to be used on any kind of computer and allows all computers to communicate with each other, for example through the Internet
JPEG	[uncount] a method of reducing the size of computer files that contain images so that they can be sent quickly by email or over the Internet [count] a file that is produced by this method
K
keypal	someone who regularly emails someone else
L
link	a connection between one file or section and another, for example on a website synonym: hyperlink
listening post	a website on the Internet where you can listen to music
listserv™	a piece of software that automatically sends a copy of every email received to all members of a group
M
mail (noun)	email
mail (verb)	to send a message, document etc to someone by email
mailbox	a part of a computer’s memory where email is stored
mailer	a computer program for sending email
message	a piece of information that you send by email
message board	a system in which a group of Internet users regularly write email messages about a particular subject for other members of the group to read
messaging	the process of sending and receiving electronic messages by computer or mobile phone
mirror site	an exact copy of a busy website that is created to reduce the number of people visiting the main website
mouse potato	someone who spends long periods of time using the Internet or playing computer games
MP3	a method of reducing the size of a computer file that contains sound, especially music, so that it can be sent quickly by email or over the Internet a file produced by this method
MP3 player	a piece of equipment used for playing MP3 files
multi-user	a multi-user computer game can be played by several different people at the same time using the Internet
N
Net, the	the Internet
netiquette	the polite way of expressing yourself or communicating with other people when you are using the Internet (formed from Net (=Internet) and etiquette)
netizen	someone who spends a lot of time using the Internet (formed from Net (=Internet) and citizen)
netspeak	the special language, abbreviations, and expressions used by people when communicating using the Internet (formed from Net (=Internet) and speak)
newbie	someone who has just started to use the Internet
new economy, the	the economy that has developed as a result of Internet business activity
newsgroup	a place on the Internet where people can leave messages about a subject or activity that interests them, for other people to read
O
offline	working on a computer but not connected to the Internet
old economy	the economy that is based on traditional methods of doing business rather than on Internet business activity
online	connected to or available through a computer or a computer network, especially the Internet
online banking	a system that allows you to communicate with your bank on the Internet
org	private organization: used in Internet addresses
outbox	the place on an email program where emails are stored before you send them
P
PDF	Portable Document Format: a type of computer file that can contain words, images etc and can be sent on the Internet and read on any computer
point of presence	a telephone number that a computer calls in order to be connected to the Internet
portal	an Internet site that has links (=connections) to other places
post	to put information on the Internet
posting	a message sent over the Internet to a newsgroup etc
push technology	a type of computer technology that automatically sends information to your computer over the Internet so that you do not have to request it
R
refresh	if you refresh an Internet document in which information is changing all the time, you click on a button that makes the most recent information appear
roaming	the ability to connect to the Internet or use your mobile phone when you are travelling, without having to make long-distance or international phone calls
S
screenager	a young person who spends a lot of time using computers and the Internet (formed from screen and teenager)
search (noun)	the process of using a computer to find information, especially on the Internet
search (verb)	to use a computer to look for information, especially on the Internet
search engine	a computer program used for searching for information on the Internet
server farm	a building or group of buildings that holds a large collection of servers (= computers that store programs used by other computers) for connecting to the Internet
service provider	a company that provides customers with a connection to the Internet synonym: ISP
shareware	computer software that you can get on the Internet and use for a period of time before paying for it. Computer software that is available free is called freeware.
signature file	a computer file that contains information about the person who sent an email
SKU	Stock Keeping Unit: a number that is used for referring to a product that is sold on the Internet
smiley	the symbol :-), used in emails for emphasizing that you are joking. A smiley is a type of emoticon.
snail mail	letters that are sent by post. This expression is used mainly by people writing emails.
spam	emails that are sent to large numbers of people on the Internet, especially when these are not wanted (From Spam, the trade name for a US type of cooked meat that is sold in tins. Because people had to eat so much of it during the Second World War, it became the object of many jokes.)
spamming	the practice of sending emails to large numbers of people on the Internet, especially when these are not wanted
spammer	someone who sends spam
start page	the words and pictures that first appear on a computer screen when you use the Internet
streaming	a technology for getting sound or pictures to your computer through the Internet as a continuous stream so that you can hear the sound or see the pictures before all the information has been received by your computer
subject line	the place in an email where you can type what the email is about
surf	to look at various places one after another on the Internet or on television
surfing	the activity of looking at various places one after another on the Internet or on television to find something interesting
T
TCP/IP	transmission control protocol/Internet protocol: a set of rules used by all computers on the Internet that allow them to communicate with each other
Telnet	a software program for getting information stored on another computer on the Internet by typing instructions into the other computer
U
unsubscribe	to take your name off an Internet mailing list
upload	to send documents or programs from your computer to a larger system using the Internet compare download
URL	Uniform Resource Locator: an Internet address
Usenet	a system for sending news and information to people over the Internet
user group	a group of people who are interested in computers and share information using the Internet
V
virtual	created by computers or appearing on computers or the Internet
visitor	someone who looks at a particular page on the Internet
v-mail	voicemail: a type of software that allows you to add your own voice or other sounds to your email messages
W
WAP	wireless application protocol: a type of technology that allows you to send emails and look at information on the Internet using a mobile phone or pager
Web, the	the World Wide Web
web browser	a software program that is used for finding and looking at pages on the Internet
webcam	a camera connected to a computer that produces images that can be seen on a website
webcast (noun)	a broadcast on the Internet
webcast (verb)	to broadcast on the Internet
Weblish	an informal language used by people on the Internet that is based on English, uses no capital letters, and includes a lot of abbreviations
webmaster	someone whose job is to manage a website
web page	a page or document that you can read on a website
web ring	a group of websites that are all connected to each other by links
website	a place on the Internet where information is available about a particular subject, organization etc
webzine	a magazine that is published on the Internet
World Wide Web, the	a very large collection of documents, pictures, sounds etc stored on computers in many different places and connected through the Internet synonym: the web
X
XML	a computer language used for creating websites, similar to HTML but more advanced
Z
zine or ’zine	an informal magazine produced either on paper or on the Internet, written by people who are not professional writers