iframe
Iframe (noun) means an element of a web page that embeds a second, separate web page inside a rectangle on the first, so that things such as a video player, a map or a payment form can appear within a page while actually being served by another site. Example: “The video is in an iframe, so it loads from the video service rather than from us.”
How to Use Iframe
Learner’s notesIn plain EnglishA window on a web page that shows another web page inside it.
Technical; written iframe or i-frame after the HTML tag name.
The embedded page keeps its own address and its own rules, which is why the surrounding page usually cannot read or change what is inside it.
Trace the full origin ↓Fill the Gap
Can you complete this real example?
The video is in an _____, so it loads from the video service rather than from us.
Etymology
A shortening of inline frame, the name of the HTML element.
Synonyms
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Rhymes for iframe
See all rhymes for iframe →Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between an iframe and a frame?
Old frames divided the whole browser window into sections, each loading a different document, and that approach is obsolete. An iframe sits inside the flow of a normal page like an image would, and remains in everyday use.
Why do payment forms use iframes?
Putting the form in an iframe served by the payment provider means the card details are entered into the provider's page rather than the shop's, so the shop's own code never handles them.
Can a page inside an iframe control the page around it?
Not by default. Browsers block interaction between pages from different sites, so an embedded page generally cannot read or alter its host, and the host cannot read it.