access

American  

[ak-ses] / ˈæk sɛs /

noun

• accesses
  plural

1. the ability, right, or permission to approach, enter, speak with, or use; admittance.

   They have access to the files.

2. a way or means of approach.

   The only access to the house was a rough dirt road.

3. the state or quality of being approachable.

   Located deep in the woods on an island with no dock, the cabin was difficult of access.

4. Theology. approach to God through Jesus Christ.

5. an attack or onset, as of a disease or symptom.

   Some influenza patients experience attacks for many weeks after the primary access.

   In a violent access of coughing I fractured one of my ribs.

6. a sudden, strong burst of emotion.

   In an access of clumsy tenderness, he tried to dry the tears that trembled on her eyelashes.

7. accession.

8. public-access television.

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verb (used with object)

• accesses,
  present (3rd person singular)
• accessed,
  past participle,  past
• accessing
  present participle

1. to make contact with or gain access to; be able to reach, approach, enter, etc..

   Bank customers can access their checking accounts instantly through the online portal.

2. Computers. (of a program or system component) to retrieve (data) for use by another program or application or for transfer from one part of the system to another.

   This key enables other applications to access data from within the event management system even if you aren't logged in.

adjective

1. Television. (of programming, time, etc.) available to the public.

   Six channels now offer access services.

access British  

/ ˈæksɛs /

noun

1. the act of approaching or entering

2. the condition of allowing entry, esp (of a building or room) allowing entry by wheelchairs, prams, etc

3. the right or privilege to approach, reach, enter, or make use of something

4. a way or means of approach or entry

5. the opportunity or right to see or approach someone

   she fights for divorce and free access to her children

6. (modifier) designating programmes made by the general public as distinguished from those made by professional broadcasters

   access television

7. a sudden outburst or attack, as of rage or disease

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verb

1. to gain access to; make accessible or available

2. (tr) computing

   1. to obtain or retrieve (information) from a storage device

   2. to place (information) in a storage device See also direct access sequential access

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• preaccess
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• accesses
  plural

Participles

• accessing
  present
• accessed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• access
  simple
• accesses
  simple
• have accessed
  perfect
• has accessed
  perfect
• am accessing
  progressive
• are accessing
  progressive
• is accessing
  progressive
• have been accessing
  perfect progressive
• has been accessing
  perfect progressive

Past

• accessed
  simple
• had accessed
  perfect
• was accessing
  progressive
• were accessing
  progressive
• had been accessing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will access
  simple
• will have accessed
  perfect
• will be accessing
  progressive
• will have been accessing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of access

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English accesse, from Old French acces or directly from Latin accessus “an approach,” equivalent to acced-, variant stem of accēdere “to accede ” + -tus suffix of verb action

Explanation

Most libraries provide computers you can use to access the Internet. If chemicals are being stolen from a lab, you might ask who has access to the lab. Access is approaching or making use of something, or the ability to do so Sometimes the word is applied to a person. If you work in the same room as your boss, you might have easy access to her. A really good boss will work hard to make herself accessible to her employees. Access is from Middle English, from Middle French acces "arrival," from Latin accessus "an approach," from accedere "to approach."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

access accesses accessed accessing

Stablecoins can’t offer fraud protection or access to credit and rewards of credit cards, and Mastercard and Visa are now offering stablecoin-linked programs.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 13, 2026

I think that being able to access that through Willa and then shape it differently for Agnes, given the circumstances of where she is, was the biggest key between the two.

From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 13, 2026

A joint statement issued by the two sides highlighted agreement on two topics after several days of discussion: reforming the judiciary, and seeking access to frozen funds to aid in earthquake recovery efforts.

From Barron's ● Aug. 13, 2026

The scheme was introduced under former Prime Minister Julia Gillard in 2012, although it took until 2020 for Australians across the country to be able to fully access its funds.

From BBC ● Aug. 12, 2026

She will have to pass through heavily guarded areas to access the port, but no matter.

From "At Last She Stood" by Erin Entrada Kelly

In reality, as Slater notes, the demographics of who accesses psychotherapy show that the issue is often a matter of access, not will.

From Salon ● May 18, 2026

Doing so accesses the car’s maximum torque of over 1,000 Newton-meters—793 lb-ft.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 4, 2026

The government said the taskforce will advise on ways to make the tech sector more representative and "ensure the UK accesses the full talent pool, market opportunities, and innovation capacity needed for economic growth".

From BBC ● Dec. 15, 2025

“For us, it accesses a whole new market and really drives a tremendous amount of new reach that we weren’t servicing before,” said Murdoch.

From Los Angeles Times ● Feb. 8, 2024

Foreseeing the need thereof in these disturbed times, my father and Loysik had the unprotected accesses of the valley fortified with fosses and entrenchments made of felled trees.

From The Poniard's Hilt Or Karadeucq and Ronan. A Tale of Bagauders and Vagres by Eugène Sue

It can only be accessed from abroad, or with the help of VPNs – virtual private networks used to circumvent restrictions.

From BBC ● Aug. 13, 2026

The mistake happened after a staff member carrying out maintenance accessed pre‑recorded obituary files intended for use in the event of the King's death.

From BBC ● Aug. 10, 2026

"These conditions make air operations important to reach areas that cannot be accessed optimally by land," the official said.

From Barron's ● Aug. 9, 2026

Meta said one of its AI models accessed the internet and hacked a third-party service during a cybersecurity test.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 7, 2026

Then the big beach, accessed by another wooden staircase.

From "We Were Liars" by E. Lockhart

The time restriction would be enabled by default settings on social media accounts for children aged 16 and 17, preventing them from accessing social media sites between midnight and 6:00 am.

From Barron's ● Aug. 6, 2026

Handala previously was accused of accessing some personal details and emails by FBI Director Kash Patel in the early days of the Iran war.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026

"We have a growing population requiring services and they're having delays accessing them."

From BBC ● Jul. 29, 2026

She understands that children in dense districts face some of the steepest challenges to accessing outdoor play.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 27, 2026

Judging from my accessing, it appears that I know more about the subject than Margaret does.

From "Every Day" by David Levithan

Related Words

• approach
• connection
• entry