interweb

English

Alternative forms

• intarweb, Interweb

Etymology

Blend of Internet +‎ web (“World Wide Web”). The first use of this phrase is disputed.

Pronunciation

• IPA^(key): /ˈɪntəˌwɛb/, /ˈɪntɚˌwɛb/

• Audio (General Australian):

  (file)

Noun

interweb (plural interwebs or interwebz)

1. (Internet slang, humorous, often in the plural) The Internet.
   • 1997, Christian Schenck, Christine Schopf, editors, Cyberarts, →ISBN, page 70:

     "Web Hopper" is an interweb site that enables you to visualize your Web hopping and that of other Net users.

   • 2007 March 26, Phil Libin, Jon Udell (interviewer), “Jon Udell's Interviews With Innovators: Phil Libin”, in IT Conversations, GigaVox Media‎^[1], archived from the original on 29 July 2013:

     Basically anyone who wants to get a license for nefarious purposes, nefarious or at the very least […] unsactioned, they now get to shop around. […] With the interwebs, it's gonna be pretty easy to tell which states […] are the best shopping locations.

   • 2010, “Enter The Ninja”, performed by Die Antwoord:

     They said I was a fucking psycho / But look at me now, all up in the interweb, world wide

   • 2022 April 20, Mariella Rudi, “Tostitos Hint of Lime has zero lime – but it’s still the perfect chip”, in The Guardian‎^[2]:

     Very little exists in the annals of the interwebs about Tostitos Hint of Lime. Many nights I’ve sucked down crusty mossed fingertips and typed away in a green-out (like a blackout, but from eating too much Tostitos Hint of Lime), searching for a like-minded fanclub, historical taxonomy, or even a press release.

Usage notes

• Typically used in a jocular or sarcastic manner by more experienced Internet users, especially as a mockery of the less experienced when used with teh.

Synonyms

• Intertubes

Translations

The Internet

• Czech: internety m pl
• Dutch: interweb (nl) n

Further reading

• “interweb”, in Lexico, Dictionary.com; Oxford University Press, 2019–2022.

Anagrams

• bewinter