paywall

or pay wall

[ pey-wawl ]

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.

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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of paywall¹

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

Example Sentences

Largely because right-wing propaganda circulates so freely and is actually good, while factual information is locked behind paywalls.

From Salon

CNN is currently developing video content with some of its talent designed to be behind the paywall on the site, according to people familiar with the plans.

From Los Angeles Times

One of the industries this particularly affects is the print media, which is largely funded by advertising and paywalls online.

From BBC

There are plenty of them sitting comfortably behind paywalls.

From BBC

Too many peer-reviewed studies are outdated, removed from our readers’ Western experiences, or simply useless to me behind journal paywalls.

From Salon