router

1 of 3

noun (1)

rout·​er ˈrau̇-tər 

: one that routs: such as

a

: a routing plane

b

: a machine with a revolving vertical spindle and cutter for milling out the surface of wood or metal

router

2 of 3

noun (2)

rout·​er ˈrü-tər 

ˈrau̇-

: one that routes

especially : a device that mediates the transmission routes of data packets over an electronic communications network (such as the Internet)

router

3 of 3

noun (3)

rout·​er ˈrü-tər 

ˈrau̇-

: a horse trained for distance races

Examples of router in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Electronic devices use radio waves to send and receive data, like your laptop and Wi-Fi router or cellphone and cell tower. —Scott Coyle, The Conversation, 31 May 2024

Per the statement, the camera was disguised as a wi-fi router. —Esme Mazzeo, Peoplemag, 30 May 2024

In testing, however, the phones performed similarly over a connection to a Wi-Fi 6 router. —PCMAG, 25 May 2024

In the early 2000s, Juniper wanted to expand into the edge router market and was in negotiations to buy an unnamed company, but due diligence revealed some concerns. —Luisa Beltran, Fortune, 18 May 2024

Word History

Etymology

Noun (1)

rout entry 4 + -er entry 2

Noun (2)

route entry 2 + -er entry 2

Noun (3)

route entry 1 (in sense "race of a mile or more") + -er entry 2

First Known Use

Noun (1)

1818, in the meaning defined above

Noun (2)

1903, in the meaning defined above

Noun (3)

circa 1951, in the meaning defined above

Kids Definition

router

1 of 2 noun

rout·​er ˈrau̇t-ər 

: a machine for cutting out the surface of wood or metal

router

2 of 2 noun

rout·​er ˈrüt-ər 

ˈrau̇t-

: one that routes

especially : a device that sends data from one place to another within a computer network or between computer networks