Definitions
01the global network
A1 · Beginner Uncountable noun Computing
n. the worldwide system of connected computers that you use to look at websites or send emails.
n. The global, decentralized network of computers communicating via the Internet protocol suite. Often capitalized as 'Internet' in formal contexts.
日本語:インターネット※
“You can find almost any information you need on the internet these days.”
“The internet has fundamentally transformed global commerce by allowing small businesses to reach international customers without traditional physical storefronts.”
Pitfall
I found the information in internet.
I found the information on the internet.
Always use the definite article 'the' and the preposition 'on' when referring to the global network.
Synonyms
02connectivity
A2 · Elementary Uncountable noun Computing
n. the connection or signal that lets your device reach the web.
n. Internet access or connectivity provided by a service provider.
日本語:ネット※
“The hotel has free internet in all the guest rooms.”
“We experienced frequent disruptions to our internet during the storm, making it impossible to join the video conference.”
Synonyms
03humorous points
C1 · Advanced Plural noun Humorous · Slang · Informal
n. fake points people 'give' you online when you say something funny or clever.
n. A fictitious unit of scoring awarded for making outstanding or witty posts on social media platforms.
“That was a great comeback; you win ten internets for that.”
“After his clever rebuttal went viral, users jokingly claimed he had won the internets for the day.”
Synonyms
04to use the web
C1 · Advanced Informal · Slang
v. to spend time online or search for things on the web.
v. To use the internet, specifically for the purpose of searching for information or engaging with social media.
“I spent the whole afternoon just interneting instead of doing my homework.”
“She spent her Sunday morning interneting for vintage furniture deals rather than attending the local market in person.”
Real-World Examples
“According to experts I interviewed, the internet is about to get more frustrating.” “The most-visited site on the internet still shows the same list of links to users, but they have to scroll past a summarized response from an AI chatbot, a feature Google calls AI Overviews.” “Five years ago, people who hang out in the stranger corners of the web started arguing that the internet was mostly fake.” Etymology
internet began life as the conventional capitalised Internet. Once the network stopped being one thing and turned into the condition of being online, the lower-case variant emerged.
The verb is a back-formation from that noun; no new morphology, simply the customary English habit of turning the name of a thing into the act of using it.
From the Latin prefix inter-, ‘among, between’, joined to the English verb net, itself a clipped form of ‘network’. The compound was first assembled in the 1970s by the architects of what was then the ARPAN or ARPANET; when the system between networks became the network, the word retained its parts but dropped the capital letters.
Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Idioms
Domain
- Exam level
- CambridgeCambridgeCambridge English QualificationsThe exam suite from Cambridge University Press & Assessment, from A1 Movers up to C2 Proficiency. The benchmark names double as CEFR labels.A1 MoversIELTSIELTSInternational English Language Testing SystemThe 0–9 band test co-owned by the British Council, IDP, and Cambridge. Used for university entry, work, and migration.2.0–3.0TOEFL iBTTOEFL iBTTest of English as a Foreign Language, Internet-Based TestETS's academic English test, the standard route for US university admissions. Scored 0–120, with a 1–6 scale since 2026.1–6 scale: 1.0–1.50–23TOEICTOEICTest of English for International CommunicationETS's workplace English test, big in Japan and Korea. Listening & Reading scores 10–990 and tops out at C1.120–224
- Frequency
- Very common
- Level
- A1 · BeginnerOxford
- Updated
- アルファベット
- 読み方の一覧 →
QR code
englishreference.com/q/internet
‘외래어’ data: 한국어기초사전 (국립국어원), CC BY-SA 2.0 KR
※ 機械で選んだ訳語です。ネイティブスピーカーによる確認はまだです。
「日本語」 data: JMdict (EDRDG), CC BY-SA 4.0