dark web

American  

[dahrk web] / ˈdɑrk ˈwɛb /

Or Dark Web

noun

1. the portion of the internet that is intentionally hidden from search engines, uses masked IP addresses, and is accessible only with a special web browser: part of the deep web.

---

Etymology

Origin of dark web

First recorded in 2000–05

Example Sentences

Personal information of 633,887 people was taken and published on the dark web in the attack, which largely took place between May and July 2022, the ICO found.

From BBC • May 12, 2026

The report noted that the hackers teased “small samples” of the data on its dark web site over a week starting March 20, before publishing the whole thing on March 27.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 22, 2026

“I know my information is on the dark web, and I have taken steps to be cautious.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 26, 2026

I know my information is on the dark web, and I have taken steps to be cautious.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 25, 2026

Of course, in some corners of the dark web, she was better known as UKFlamethrower1999 or DundeeDeathMonger707, but mostly she was just Char, as the girls in the boarding house called her.

From "City Spies" by James Ponti