Meaning & use
the deep web
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Meaning
nounsingularcomputing
The part of the internet that ordinary search engines do not index, such as password-protected accounts, databases and private pages.
Grammar: Usually with the: most of the internet is the deep web.
Patterns
- on the deep web
- part of the deep web
Your online banking pages are part of the deep web.
Most people use the deep web every day without realizing it.
Search engines cannot reach much of the deep web.
Common combinations
- part of the deep web
- Your emails are part of the deep web.
- access the deep web
- You access the deep web whenever you log in to a private account.
- content on the deep web
- Content on the deep web is hidden behind passwords.
- size of the deep web
- Experts argue about the size of the deep web.
- deep web and dark web
- People often mix up the deep web and dark web.
Synonyms and how they differ
- invisible web
- Invisible web is an older name for the same idea.
- hidden web
- Hidden web is less common and means pages not shown by search engines.
- dark web
- The dark web is a small, deliberately hidden part that needs special software, so it is not a synonym.
Opposites
Word family
- web noun
- short for the World Wide Web
- surface web noun
- the public part search engines can find
- dark web noun
- a small hidden part used for anonymous activity
Commonly confused: the deep web or dark web?
the deep web vs dark web
The dark web needs special software and is often linked to illegal trade, whereas the deep web is mostly ordinary private content.
Practice
Which of these belongs to the deep web?
Choose one answer.
The deep web includes pages behind logins that search engines cannot index. Public pages belong to the surface web.
Make it your own
Write a sentence using “the deep web”, then check it and compare it with the examples above.