URL stands for Uniform Resource Locator, which is the technical name for a web address. It's the text you type into your browser's address bar to visit a website, like www.nasa.gov or www.smithsonianmag.com.

Think of a URL as a precise address for finding something on the internet. Just as your home address tells people exactly where you live (123 Main Street, Apartment 4B), a URL tells your computer exactly where to find a specific webpage, image, or video online. Without URLs, the internet would be like a library where every book looked identical from the outside, with no way to ask for the one you wanted.

URLs have parts that work together: the beginning (like “https://”) tells your browser how to connect, the middle part (like “wikipedia.org”) identifies which website, and everything after that shows the specific page or file you want. When you click a link, you're really just clicking a URL that someone has hidden behind text or an image.

People often say “send me the URL” when they want you to share a web address, usually by copying and pasting it from the address bar. Understanding URLs helps you navigate the internet more confidently and share exactly what you want others to see.