Synonyms

cyber

¹ American

[sahy-ber] / ˈsaɪ bər /

noun

(used alone as a substitute for many compound words that begin with the combining form cyber-, as cyberattack, cybersecurity, cyberterrorism, orcyberwarfare ): Ethical hackers are being recruited for careers in cyber.

GPS may be vulnerable to jamming and cyber.
Ethical hackers are being recruited for careers in cyber.

adjective

of or relating to computers, typically to one of the technology domains named with the combining form cyber-, as cyberterrorism, cyberwarfare, or cyberattack: several cyber breaches; cyber plots.

a cyber threat;
several cyber breaches;
cyber operations;
cyber plots.

verb (used without object)

to engage in cybersex.

People playing the MMO were cybering in voice chat, sometimes without even creating a separate channel to keep it private.

cyber- ² American

Digital Technology.

a combining form meaning “computer,” “computer network,” or “virtual reality,” used in the formation of compound words (cybertalk; cyberart; cyberspace ) and by extension meaning “expressing visions of the future” (cyberfashion ).

cyber- British

combining form

indicating computers

cyberphobia

"Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged" 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012

cyber– Scientific

A prefix that means “computer” or “computer network,” as in cyberspace, the electronic medium in which online communication takes place.

Usage

What does cyber- mean? Cyber- is a combining form used like a prefix meaning “computer” or "computer network." In many instances, it is used to refer generally to the internet. It is often used in technical terms, especially in computer science.Cyber- comes from a shortening of the term cybernetics, meaning “the study of communication and control in humans and mechanical systems.” Cybernetics ultimately comes from Greek kybernḗtēs, meaning "helmsman" or "steersman.” Learn more about cybernetics (and how it is related to the word govern) at our entry for the term.

Etymology

Origin of cyber¹

First recorded in 1990–95; from cyber- ( def. )

Origin of cyber-²

Extracted from cybernetics

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

This the fourth day of evidence in the trial with Det Cons Matthews of the Police Service of Northern Ireland's cyber crime centre taking the stand.

From BBC

This aging infrastructure is uniquely prone to the exact cyber threats these AI agents are meant to stop.

From The Wall Street Journal

Precision strike systems, cyber tools, missile defenses and offensive drones can impose costs without a ground invasion.

From The Wall Street Journal

We are ourselves seeing cyber threats, with ebbs and flows, but certainly at a much higher degree of intensity.

From The Wall Street Journal

If that accounts for the “cyber” aspect of our cyberpunk dystopia, where’s the punk?

From Salon

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023