World Wide Web

American  

[wurld wahyd web] / ˈwɜrld ˌwaɪd ˈwɛb /

noun

1. Usually the World Wide Web (except when used before a noun) a system of extensively interlinked hypertext documents: a branch of the internet. WWW

---

World Wide Web British  

noun

1.  WWW.  computing a vast network of linked hypertext files, stored on computers throughout the world, that can provide a computer user with information on a huge variety of subjects

---

World Wide Web Scientific  

/ wûrld /

1. The complete set of electronic documents stored on computers that are connected over the Internet and are made available by the protocol known as HTTP. The World Wide Web makes up a large part of the Internet.

2. See more at Internet

---

World Wide Web Cultural  

1. See Internet.

---

Etymology

Origin of World Wide Web

First recorded in 1990–95

Compare meaning

How does world-wide-web compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• World Wide Web vs. internet

Example Sentences

As bleak, frightening and all-around life-ruining as the internet has proven itself to be, there was a time not long ago when the World Wide Web felt like a portal, not a black hole.

From Salon • Apr. 12, 2026

The World Wide Web emerged just as the Soviet Union was collapsing.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 1, 2026

Mainframe computers were disrupted by PCs, which were disrupted by the World Wide Web, which was disrupted by smartphones.

From Barron's • Oct. 14, 2025

"If it's smarter than you, then we have to keep it contained," warned Tim Berners Lee, creator of the World Wide Web, talking to the BBC earlier this month.

From BBC • Oct. 9, 2025

In contrast to Jesse’s articulate ruminations about the Net and the World Wide Web, Eric was very nearly mute.

From "Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho" by Jon Katz