Definition: The acronym WHOIS, a shortened form of the words "who" and "is", is an Internet utility used to search the large DNS (Domain Name System) database of domain names, IP addresses, and and Web servers.
A WHOIS search can return the following information:
- whether or not a particular domain name has been registered to a person, organization, or business
- name, address, and phone number of domain name owner
- technical information about the registered domain or Web server
- date of purchase and registration of the domain name
- email addresses
There are many WHOIS utilities on the Web; some of the most popular are Domain Tools, RobTex, DNSStuff, Network-Tools, and Domain Name Search, WHOIS.net, and Internic.
Also Known As: ip lookup, dns lookup, traceroute, domain lookup
