usenet

IPA/ˈjuːznet/
KK[jˈuznˌɛt]IPA/ˈjuːznet/

usenet — noun

1. an early worldwide Internet system where people can post written messages and re

1.nounC1
Definition

an early worldwide Internet system where people can post written messages and read replies inside topic-based sections called newsgroups, instead of sending private emails.

Example

Romi found helpful advice about repairing old cars on a Usenet newsgroup.

collocation: Usenet newsgroup

Before the World Wide Web, many people used Usenet to exchange news and ideas.

collocation: used Usenet to exchange [information]

Common collocations
  • Usenet newsgroup
  • read Usenet
  • on Usenet
  • Usenet post
  • Usenet message
  • Usenet discussion
  • use Usenet
Synonyms
  • newsgroup service

    emphasises the topic-based group structure rather than the whole system

  • discussion forum

    a general term; Usenet is a specific type of discussion forum, not any forum

Usage Note

Usenet is treated as a proper noun and is usually capitalised. It refers to a specific historic system, not to internet forums in general.

Common Mistakes

I sent her an email through Usenet.
I read a discussion about photography on Usenet.
Usenet is a public discussion system, not a private email service.
Let's start a Usenet channel.
Let's start a new Usenet newsgroup for Korean cooking.
The sections of Usenet are called newsgroups, not channels.

Word family

  • newsgroup
    nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Usenet is the name of a specific worldwide discussion network, while a newsgroup is one individual topic section within that network (for example, 'the rec.pets.dogs newsgroup on Usenet'). A discussion forum or online forum is a more modern, web-based platform where people post topics and replies, typically hosted on a single website — Usenet predates the web and works differently, using a distributed network of servers. A bulletin board system (BBS) was an earlier dial-up service where users connected directly to a single computer, unlike Usenet which is a shared network. In short, Usenet is the whole system; a newsgroup is one part of it; a forum or BBS is a different technology altogether.

newsgroupdiscussion forumonline forumbulletin board system

Common collocations

Nouns

  • Usenet newsgroup
  • Usenet post
  • Usenet message
  • Usenet discussion
  • Usenet user
  • Usenet server

Phrases

  • read Usenet
  • use Usenet
  • post to Usenet
  • access Usenet

Prepositions

  • on Usenet

Etymology

English

Blended from 'users' and 'network', created in 1979–1980 by Duke University graduate students Tom Truscott and Jim Ellis as a way for Unix computers to exchange messages across a distributed network.