What does videoconference mean?
A videoconference is a conference conducted through video links, allowing people in different locations to see and hear one another. It is used in business meetings, interviews, classes, medical consultations, and many other settings where participants cannot meet in person. The term is generally neutral and technological rather than emotional, although it can carry associations of efficiency, convenience, or impersonal communication depending on the context. Related expressions include “video call,” “conference call,” and “teleconference,” but these are not always exact equivalents: a video call may involve only two people, and a teleconference may rely on audio alone. “Videoconference” is usually written as one word, though “video conference” is also common. As a gerund, “videoconferencing” names the practice or technology itself: an organization may offer remote work partly because videoconferencing makes meetings across time zones more practical.
nounA conference or meeting in which people in different locations communicate using video links, typically through computers or a video-conferencing platform. It may involve audio as well as live or transmitted images.
- A meeting or conference conducted using video links so that participants in different locations can see and hear one another.
"The international research team arranged a videoconference to discuss the project without traveling."
"The company replaced its quarterly staff meeting with a videoconference for employees spread across several offices."
"A physician joined the classroom by videoconference to answer students’ questions about the experiment."
The regular plural is used when referring to multiple videoconferences or recurring meetings conducted this way.
"The organization schedules regular videoconferences for staff working in different regions."
The word joins video, from Latin for “I see,” with conference, meaning “bringing together,” neatly capturing how modern technology lets distant participants meet face to face.
Reviewed by Deb Chak, Editor. AI-assisted content curated by RJS Tech Solutions LLP.
Etymology of videoconference
Videoconference combines the combining form video, derived from Latin videre, “to see,” with conference, which comes through French from Latin conferre, “to bring together.” The compound names a conference made possible by transmitted images as well as sound. Related compounds such as videography, videophone, and videocassette share the video element, reflecting the word’s association with seeing or recording visual material.
Related word forms
How videoconference is actually used
The term is neutral in register and is common in business, education, healthcare, and media. “Videoconference” is usually written as one word, although “video conference” is also used; “videoconferencing” is the corresponding gerund or activity noun.
Easily confused with videoconference
A teleconference is a conference conducted by telephone or other telecommunications, while a videoconference specifically includes transmitted video images.
A video call is typically an individual or small-group communication, whereas a videoconference is organized as a conference involving multiple participants.