VPN

Computers.

1. virtual private network: a system or technology that uses a public network, usually the internet, to transmit encrypted data between a private network and a remote authorized user.

VPN

abbreviation for

1. virtual private network: a network that uses the internet to transfer information using secure methods

Word History and Origins

Origin of VPN¹

First recorded in 1980–85

Example Sentences

This is a kind of VPN that logjams everything fun on your phone at designated times.

From Slate

I sneaked around the subway lines of my phone, desperate for garbage, until I found a manual VPN switch to disable Freedom, which I had voluntarily paid $39.99 a year to use.

From Slate

The office of Louisiana's attorney general said it had discovered that some of the messages could be traced back to a VPN in Poland, but that "no original source" had been found so far.

From BBC

Since the February elections, social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter, has not worked in Pakistan without a VPN.

From BBC

Actions taken by a customer, such as rapid refreshing of a screen or using a VPN, could be seen to emulate a bot, he said.

From BBC