deep web

noun

variants or less commonly Deep Web

: the set of web pages on the World Wide Web that are not indexed by search engines but that may be viewable in a standard Web browser (as by logging in to a website)

The deep web is everything that is not indexed by search engines, including pages behind paywalls, password-protected information, or closed intranets. Personal information that only you can access though your bank's website, for example, is part of the deep web.

—Eileen Ormsby

compare dark web

Word History

First Known Use

2000, in the meaning defined above