Wi-Fi

American  

[wahy-fahy] / ˈwaɪˌfaɪ /

Computers, Trademark.

1. a brand name certifying that a device or other product is compatible with a set of broadband wireless networking standards.

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Wi-Fi British  

/ ˈwaɪˌfaɪ /

noun

1. computing a system of accessing the internet from remote machines such as laptop computers that have wireless connections

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Etymology

Origin of Wi-Fi

First recorded in 1995–2000; wi(reless)-fi(delity), patterned after hi-fi

Example Sentences

Meanwhile, your phone continuously senses and records your communications, info about your health, what apps you’re using, and tracks your location via cell towers, GPS satellites and Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

From Salon • Apr. 23, 2026

Amazon plans to have a space-based Wi-Fi service that by the end of the decade—if all goes to plan—will have more than 3,000 satellites offering data services to Amazon Web Services clients and others.

From Barron's • Apr. 14, 2026

Amazon agreed to acquire Globalstar to build a space-based Wi-Fi service through its Leo initiative.

From Barron's • Apr. 14, 2026

These companies, including Charter Communications, Comcast and others, entered the market because of a structural advantage: Some 90% of all mobile traffic, regardless of provider, runs on the Wi-Fi networks they operate.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 5, 2026

There is no Wi-Fi on the Lonesome Highway.

From "A Heart in a Body in the World" by Deb Caletti