peer-to-peer
adjective
Steve BassJeremy SchwartzPeter Schmidt
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The term peer-to-peer is a relatively recent addition to the English language, being little more than a half-century old. In its earliest known uses from the 1960s, it referred to something that occurs directly between human peers, people who are similar in age, grade, or status. It can still be found in this use in phrases such as "peer-to-peer tutoring." With the emergence of computer networking, peer-to-peer began to be used in reference to a system of computers that are able to communicate directly with one another without the mediation of a centralized server. Since the turn of the 21st century, peer-to-peer lending—the borrowing and lending of money through online services—has become increasingly common. You might also encounter peer-to-peer in the techy abbreviated form P2P, as in "P2P networking."
Examples of peer-to-peer in a Sentence
Matt Villano, CNN Money, 13 June 2025
In addition, a peer-to-peer giving and recognition system led to a 30 times increase in employee recognitions, further driving engagement and deepening relationships among team members.
—Kate Vitasek, Forbes.com, 9 June 2025
Without legislative action this year to fix excessive insurance mandates, the entire peer-to-peer car sharing industry could disappear overnight.
—Al Sharpton, New York Daily News, 8 June 2025
In the early days of Napster and peer-to-peer file-sharing, Doug Morris (and his Universal colleagues, including Jimmy Iovine, who would go on to sell his Beats by Dr. Dre headphone line to Apple for $3 billion in 2014) was tasked with fending off the death of the CD, to mixed results.
—Ethan Millman, HollywoodReporter, 4 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for peer-to-peer
Cite this Entry
“Peer-to-peer.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/peer-to-peer. Accessed 17 Jun. 2025.
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