SINCE 1828
paywall
noun
pay·wall
| \ ˈpā-ˌwȯl
\
\
Definition of paywall
: a system that prevents Internet users from accessing certain Web content without a paid subscription
Examples of paywall in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Although the paywall still existed, YouTube explored releasing many of these series for free to all YouTube users. — Julia Alexander, The Verge, "YouTube Premium is changing because it has to," 29 Nov. 2018 Indeed, most of the world’s scientific knowledge is still locked behind expensive paywalls. — Brian Resnick, Vox, "Europe has a plan to force academic publishers to make research free to read," 24 Sep. 2018 The failure of celebrity apps is one of failing to put the cat back in the bag, or the pore-minimizing secrets behind the paywall. — Kaitlyn Tiffany, Vox, "The Kardashian-Jenner clan are shutting down all of their subscription-based apps, effectively ending an era.," 20 Dec. 2018 This has been a challenging period for most major publishers, which are facing declining circulation and stiff competition for ad dollars, while new initiatives—from subscription paywalls and TV licensing to online video—haven’t grown fast enough. — Jeffrey A. Trachtenberg, WSJ, "Condé Nast CEO Bob Sauerberg to Step Down," 27 Nov. 2018 Now, a coalition of scientific funding agencies in Europe finally wants to tear these paywalls down. — Brian Resnick, Vox, "Europe has a plan to force academic publishers to make research free to read," 24 Sep. 2018 People who already subscribe to the site for $5 per month — or who haven’t hit the three-article-per-month paywall — will be able to read it for free. — Eric Johnson, Recode, "Google’s former PR boss Jessica Powell wrote a satirical novel about tech and published it all on Medium," 2 Oct. 2018 But for two decades, online access has been hobbled by a paywall on the judiciary's website, called PACER (Public Access to Court Electronic Records), which charges as much as 10 cents per page. — Timothy B. Lee, Ars Technica, "New bill would finally tear down federal judiciary’s ridiculous paywall," 17 Sep. 2018 The Athletic has shown flexibility around its paywall in attempts to hire big-name writers. — Benjamin Mullin, WSJ, "Sports Site The Athletic Expands Aggressively, Betting on Subscriptions," 4 June 2018These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'paywall.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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