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# modem

«modem» in Mova's school dictionary: **A box or device that connects a computer or home network…** — its meaning for a pupil, its sense in the lessons and examples.

### part of speech

noun (a modem, modems)

### meaning for a pupil

1) A box or device that connects a computer or home network to the internet through a phone line, cable or fibre. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/modem/#m1)

2) Often, at home, the same box as the router that makes the Wi-Fi. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/modem/#m2)

### sense in the lessons

In computing lessons the modem is the link between your home and the internet provider: data goes from the computer to the router, to the modem, and out along the line. Old modems made screeching noises when they dialled up. Everyday: «turn the modem off and on again» is a common fix when the internet is down. Phrases: «reset the modem», «the modem lights», «modem and router».

### examples

- The internet stopped, so Dad switched the modem off and on again. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/modem/#x1)
- The modem has blinking green lights. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/modem/#x2)
- Our modem is plugged into the phone socket. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/modem/#x3)
- In the old days modems made a squealing sound when they connected. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/modem/#x4)
- The modem and router are in one box in our hallway. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/modem/#x5)
- A modem turns computer signals into signals that can travel along a cable. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/modem/#x6)
- The engineer came to fit a new fibre modem. [tree →](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/modem/#x7)

### note

Countable: a modem, modems. The name comes from «modulator–demodulator». Common confusion: a modem connects to the internet, while a router shares the connection between devices (Wi-Fi); many homes have one box doing both. Stress on the first syllable: MO-dem.

### Trees and pragmatics

[Every meaning and example of «modem» parsed by Mova](https://md.mova.elamur.ai/free/en/corpora/dictionaries/school/M/modem/), each sentence with its dependency tree and frames.