(from a combination of MOdulate and DEModulate) electronic equipment consisting of a device used to connect computers by a telephone line
"I need to wait for my internet provider to send the new modem so I can finally reconnect my computer to the network."
A device that encodes digital computer signals into analog/analogue telephone signals and vice versa and allows computers to communicate over a phone line.
"After my internet went down, I realized the modem was blinking red because it couldn't establish a connection through the phone line."
In plain English: A modem is a device that connects your computer to the internet by turning digital signals into ones that can travel over phone lines or cables.
"I need to plug my modem into the wall outlet before I can get online."
Usage: A modem is a hardware device that converts digital data from your computer into analog signals so it can travel over telephone lines. You typically plug this box into your wall jack to establish an internet connection for dial-up or legacy broadband services.
To transmit by modem.
"The technician told us to wait a few minutes while he modems the software update directly from his laptop to our server."
In plain English: To modem means to connect to the internet using a specific type of cable or wireless signal.
"The new software will not let you modem any files to the old server."
Usage: The verb form of modem means to send data using a telephone line connection, though this usage is now rare since modern internet access rarely relies on dial-up technology. In everyday conversation, it is far more common to simply say you are "connecting" or "uploading" rather than using the technical term as an action.
The word modem is a shortened form of modulator-demodulator. It entered English as a convenient nickname for the device that converts digital computer signals into analog signals for transmission over telephone lines and back again.