ad blocker

noun

variants or less commonly adblocker

ˈad-ˌblä-kər 

or ad-blocker

plural ad blockers also adblockers or ad-blockers

: a software application or feature designed to prevent advertisements from loading on a web browser (see browser sense 2)

Before I get too far, I suppose it fair to mention what an ad blocker is. It is a browser add-on that filters the response from a web server, removing items that it thinks are advertisements before the browser starts to render the page.

—Telegraph Herald (Dubuque, Iowa)

The built-in ad blocker wipes out annoying ads, which can improve your browsing speed and limit distractions at work.

—cultofmac.com

We all know that ads can be quite annoying, popping up on every website and tracking our use across them all. Some may even infect your computer with damaging viruses that are difficult to remove, so we deem it best to install an ad blocker.

—Tayo Sogbesan

The catch these days with ad-blockers is that because many mainstream sites … incorporate pop-up ads as a means of earning revenue …, they often require you to disable your ad-blocker on them (or suggest that you do) to allow those ads to display …

—Eyal Goldshmid

The only problem … is the pop-up … ads. An adblocker may be able to do the job.

—Ali Bajwa

Examples of ad blocker in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Initially, many ad blocker makers hit back at Google’s plans, and multiple delays followed. —Kate O'Flaherty, Forbes, 17 Oct. 2024

The change comes as Google Chrome migrates to Manifest V3, a new extension specification that could impact the effectiveness of some ad blockers. —Emma Roth, The Verge, 15 Oct. 2024

YouTube has also been cracking down on using ad blockers to dodge ads. —Jay Peters, The Verge, 9 Oct. 2024

With the rise of ad blockers, changes in consumer behavior and new regulations, like the EU’s General Data Protection Regulation, marketing has shifted toward more personalized and consent-based strategies. —Expert Panel®, Forbes, 7 Oct. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1996, in the meaning defined above