DDoS

abbreviation or noun

ˈdē-ˌdäs How to pronounce DDoS (audio)
ˌdē-ˌdē-ˌō-ˈes
: distributed denial of service
In the last couple of days they've launched DDoSes on the Web sites of Visa, MasterCard, and various other entities …Farhad Manjoo
a DDoS attack

Examples of DDoS 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.
Update, March 12, 2025: This story, originally published March 11, has been updated with additional insight from multiple security experts regarding the DDoS attack against Elon Musk’s X social media platform. Davey Winder, Forbes, 12 Mar. 2025 Pro-Palestinian hacker group Dark Storm Team has claimed responsibility for carrying out a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack on X, designed to inundate a platform into temporarily malfunctioning. Faisal Kutty, Newsweek, 11 Mar. 2025 And so far, the disruption resembles the DDoS attacks politically motivated hackers have been launching for decades. Sam Sabin, Axios, 11 Mar. 2025 While establishing a DDoS attack with certainty can be difficult, Mater said, Musk’s claim was plausible. Rob Wile, NBC News, 10 Mar. 2025 The last time Musk acknowledged a DDoS attack on X was in August ahead of an X Spaces live stream with Donald Trump, which eventually started 40 minutes late. Emily Forlini, PCMAG, 10 Mar. 2025 The increase in connected devices combined with enhanced DDoS capabilities and the complex architecture underpinning the networks all contribute to this. Mike Wilson, Forbes, 27 Feb. 2025 Many organizations only implement DDoS protection after suffering an attack. Kate O'Flaherty, Forbes, 22 Jan. 2025 The number of DDoS attacks exceeding 1Tbps also grew 1,885% in Q4 from Q3. Michael Kan, PCMAG, 21 Jan. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

2000, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of DDoS was in 2000

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Cite this Entry

“DDoS.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/DDoS. Accessed 17 Mar. 2025.

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences
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