paywall

American  

[pey-wawl] / ˈpeɪˌwɔl /

Or pay wall

noun

1. a system in which access to all or part of a website is restricted to paid subscribers.

   Some newspapers have put their content behind a paywall.

2. the part of a website that can be accessed only by paid subscribers.

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verb (used with object)

1. to restrict access to (all or part of a website) to paid subscribers.

   Here’s an abstract, but the full article is paywalled.

Etymology

Origin of paywall

First recorded in 2005–10; pay ¹ + (fire)wall

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

paywall

"Putting Conversation Focus behind a paywall feels wrong," said one user who wrote, external to Meta Ray-Ban product lead David Woodland.

From BBC ● Jul. 2, 2026

Allbritton expects to more than double his newsroom to about 100 journalists by year-end and introduce a paywall soon.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 23, 2026

"Your AI text is humanizing," the site claimed, leading to a page where "100% unique text" was locked behind a paywall charging up to $9.99.

From Barron's ● Mar. 30, 2026

Apple TV+, which is a streaming platform, has become so desperate for an audience for its MLS content that it removed its paywall.

From Los Angeles Times ● Mar. 3, 2026

The details were vague, and the majority of the article was hidden behind a paywall.

From "We Are the Ants" by Shaun David Hutchinson