paywall

noun

pay·​wall ˈpā-ˌwȯl 

: 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

That’s a toll booth on commerce, not a paywall, and Meta already serves hundreds of millions of small businesses. — Todd Gordon, CNBC, 22 Sep. 2026

Today, even the gatekeepers are gone, or have turned into paywalls. — Louis Menand, New Yorker, 21 Sep. 2026

The New York Times has a paywall for its articles, but ChatGPT can evade paying for a subscription. — David Zimmermann, The Washington Examiner, 18 Sep. 2026

This past year alone, MLS moved its broadcasts from behind a double paywall and onto the regular Apple TV streaming service and added a sponsorship asset to the lower-back area of club jerseys. — Justin Birnbaum, Sportico.com, 18 Sep. 2026

Word History

Etymology

pay entry 1 + firewall

First Known Use

2004, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for paywall

• aldol
• armhole
• atoll
• awol
• backhaul
• banal
• baseball
• befall
• cabal
• catchall
• cecal
• centrale

Kids Definition

paywall

noun

pay·​wall ˈpā-ˌwȯl 

: a system that prevents Internet users from accessing certain Web content without a paid subscription