always-on

adjective

al·​ways-on ˈȯl-wēz-ˈȯn How to pronounce always-on (audio)
-ˈän, 
-wəz-, 
-(ˌ)wāz-
also ˈȯ-
: always active, operating, or powered
an always-on Internet connection
When a power shortage occurs and electricity costs rise, the always-on devices scattered throughout … your facility consume increasingly expensive power.—Gilbert Held

Examples of always-on in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
That approach could reduce the amount of expensive compute used by always-on agents, particularly systems that perform thousands of small actions over long periods. — Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 11 Aug. 2026 To provide energy-efficient edge processing that is perfect for robotics and always-on sensors, neuromorphic computing research is creating hardware that more closely resembles biological neurons and synapses. — Chuck Brooks, Forbes.com, 10 Aug. 2026 Meta Platform rose nearly 2% this morning after the introduction of Muse Glimmer, a model the company said is optimize for always-on local agent workflows. — Jeff Marks, CNBC, 10 Aug. 2026 The Apple Watch Series 11 lasted 43 hours with normal usage and the always-on display enabled in testing, and the Pixel Watch 4 powered through an impressive 56 hours under the same conditions. — Andrew Gebhart, PC Magazine, 5 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for always-on

Word History

First Known Use

1976, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of always-on was in 1976

Rhymes for always-on

See All Rhymes for always-on

Browse Nearby Words

always
always-on
Alyce clover
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Always-on.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/always-on. Accessed 14 Aug. 2026.

Copy Citation
Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

More from Merriam-Webster

Word of the Day

Listen to the pronunciation of vacuous

See Definitions and Examples »

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

7 Pairs of Commonly Confused Words

Is that lie 'bald-faced' or 'bold-faced'?

'A' or 'an'? What about before 'h'? An Indefinite Article Guide

Why is '-ed' sometimes pronounced at the end of a word?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List

It's a Scorcher! Words for the Summer Heat

The Words of the Week - Aug. 14

12 Lovely and Unusual Words for the Natural World
See More

Popular

See More

A Who’s Who Regarding ‘Who’s’ and ‘Whose’

Words from the 'Odyssey'

The Longest Long Words List
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
image of a green cube out of place in a lineup of red spheres
Odd Word Out: Synonyms Vol. 2 Quiz Figure out which word isn't like the others.
See All