dark web

or Dark Web

[ dahrk 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.

Word History and Origins

Origin of dark web¹

First recorded in 2000–05

Example Sentences

Confidential prison layouts had been leaked onto the dark web in the past two weeks, according to The Times.

From BBC

The U.S. government estimates that in 2021, 80% of cryptocurrency transactions across the whole dark web took place through Hydra, Russia’s then-reigning cyber-cartel.

From Salon

Much of Hydra’s interface would have looked familiar to anyone who’s used the dark web marketplace Silk Road or its myriad knock-off clones: you can glance through the forums and customer reviews to check which pills and powders will rock your socks off and which will leave you feeling worse than Uma Thurman in “Pulp Fiction.”

From Salon

Dark web marketplaces seen by the BBC suggest some of the same online sellers in China are advertising nitazenes in bulk as well as adulterated benzodiazepines.

From BBC

From age 14, Jenkinson had watched videos of real killing and torture on the dark web, fantasised about murder and developed an interest in serial killers, her trial heard.

From BBC