deep web

American  

[deep web] / ˈdip ˈwɛb /

Or Deep Web

noun

1. the portion of the internet that is hidden from conventional search engines, as by encryption; the aggregate of unindexed websites.

   private databases and other unlinked content on the deep web.

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deep Web British  

noun

1. computing the part of the World Wide Web not accessible through conventional search engines

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Etymology

Origin of deep web

First recorded in 2000–05

Example Sentences

But when his estranged mother, Bell, implores him to look into a Black sorority girl’s disappearance, he agrees, and stumbles into a deep web of local corruption.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 3, 2024

Have you seen chatter about these trials on right-wing message boards and the deep web?

From Slate • Mar. 21, 2022

Because investigative reporters are often looking for those who don’t want to be found, we’d also keep an eye out for weird sites that promised to unearth off-the-grid cellphone numbers or scrape the deep web.

From New York Times • Mar. 6, 2019

Under tighter surveillance, the more hysterical might have gone underground or found a home on the deep web.

From Economist • Oct. 24, 2016

Many would diversify their ad placements, using sites on the deep web – sites that can mask original IP addresses and don’t appear on standard search engines.

From The Guardian • Sep. 24, 2016