paywall

noun

pay·​wall ˈpā-ˌwȯl How to pronounce paywall (audio)
: 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
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The launch comes about a year after the company introduced a digital paywall, with extra content available to subscribers paying $4 a month. Dade Hayes, Deadline, 28 Oct. 2025 Like Chrome got a brain and a paywall. The Ai Insider, Interesting Engineering, 27 Oct. 2025 This stands out to me as a particularly strange policy, opting to gate user privacy behind a paywall, which is not common with AI services. PC Magazine, 25 Oct. 2025 Customers who already pay to watch CNN via a cable, satellite, or another pay TV provider like YouTube TV will get access to the streaming product for free but will need a Basic tier subscription to pierce the website’s paywall. Eric Vilas-Boas, Vulture, 16 Oct. 2025 See All Example Sentences for paywall

Word History

Etymology

pay entry 1 + firewall

First Known Use

2004, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of paywall was in 2004

Browse Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Paywall.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/paywall. Accessed 7 Nov. 2025.

Kids Definition

paywall

noun
pay·​wall ˈpā-ˌwȯl How to pronounce paywall (audio)
: a system that prevents Internet users from accessing certain Web content without a paid subscription
Last Updated: - Definition revised
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