# cyber

Pronunciation: US say "SY-ber" /ˈsaɪ.bəɹ/; UK/AUS say "SY-buh" /ˈsaɪ.bə/

## Adjective

1. Having to do with the internet; the prefix cyber- used as a word of its own.
   - Simple: Having to do with the internet, used before another word, as in cyber attack.
   - _The agency is hiring analysts to strengthen the country's cyber defenses._
   - _Officials warned that the dispute could spill over into cyber warfare._
4. Cybergoth; belonging to the subculture and style that blend goth fashion with futuristic, high-tech elements. *(colloquial)*
   - Simple: Belonging to cybergoth style, which mixes goth clothes with a high-tech, space-age look.
   - _His cyber outfit combined black vinyl, neon tubing, and welding goggles._
   - _The shop sells goth and cyber clothing to teenagers from all over the city._

## Noun

2. Cybersecurity, the field concerned with protecting computers, networks, and data from attack.
   - Simple: The work of keeping computers and the internet safe from attacks.
   - _The bank hired a new head of cyber after the data breach._
   - _Hospital budgets for cyber have grown as ransomware attacks have become more common._
3. The internet and everything connected with it, taken together as a whole.
   - Simple: The internet and all the things connected to it, thought of as one thing.
   - _Lawmakers are still working out how to regulate the cyber._
   - _The cyber has reshaped how news reaches people and how quickly it spreads._

## Verb

5. To engage in cybersex, exchanging sexual messages with someone online. *(dated)*
   - Simple: To have a sexual chat with someone over the internet.
   - _Half the users in that chat room seemed to want to cyber rather than talk about music._
   - _She admitted she had cybered with a stranger from a gaming forum._

## Origin

Originally taken from cybernetics, before becoming a stand-alone word.

Source: DictionaryAI, https://dictionaryai.com/define/cyber (written from Wiktionary data, CC BY-SA 4.0: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/).