Of a generator or power plant: connected to the grid.
2
Of a computer: actively connected to the Internet or to some other communications service.
Is this modem online?
3
Available over, or delivered from, the Internet.
In America alone, people spent $170 billion on “direct marketing”—junk mail of both the physical and electronic varieties—last year. Yet of those who received unsolicited adverts through the post, only 3% bought anything as a result. If the bumf arrived electronically, the take-up rate was 0.1%. And for online adverts the “conversion” into sales was a minuscule 0.01%.2013 May 25, “No hiding place”, in The Economist, volume 407, number 8837, page 74:
The online world was meant to be an open system but has become dominated by huge corporations.2024 May 4, John Naughton, “The internet is in decline – it needs rewilding”, in The Guardian:
1 more example
I prefer to read online newspapers.
4
Connected to the Internet.
I'll be online tonight, so I'll be able to reply to your email.
5
Available on a computer system, even if not networked.
Press the F1 key to access the online help.
The program comes with an online manual, supplied on compact disc.
6
Of a system: active, particularly building facilities (such as power) or a factory or power plant.
The power is online.
Once this factory comes online, it will double car production in our country!
7
Slang Immersed in Internet culture. (Usually modified by an intensifier such as extremely or terminally)
terminally online
To borrow an idiom from the extremely online, late Godard is a mood.2019, A.O. Scott, “'The Image Book' Review: Godard Looks at Violence, and Movies”, in The New York Times:
1 more example
“If we were doing a family vlog inside the house, I would not want my feet in the video. At all.” He would wear socks. He is very online. He sees the conversations.2025 April 27, Lisa Miller, Maggie Shannon, “When a Child’s Life Becomes the Family Business”, in The New York Times, →ISSN:
While online; while in a running or active state, or connected to the Internet.
He works online.
Well, things are getting pretty serious right now. I mean, we chat online for, like, two hours every day so I guess you could say things are gettin' pretty serious.2004, Jared Hess, Jerusha Hess, Napoleon Dynamite (motion picture), spoken by Kip (Aaron Ruell):
online
verb
Etymology 1950, from on + line.
1
Computing, Engineering, Mathematics, Natural sciences, Physical sciences, Sciences To bring (a system, etc.) online; to promote to an active or running state.
The output in Listing 8-2 shows your disk group status prior to onlining the disks, the commands to online your disks, and the status after onlining.2013, John Clarke, Oracle Exadata Recipes: A Problem-Solution Approach, page 219: