password

American  

[pas-wurd, pahs-] / ˈpæsˌwɜrd, ˈpɑs- /

noun

• passwords
  plural

1. a secret word or expression used by authorized persons to prove their right to access, information, etc.

   Synonyms:

   watchword

2. a word or other string of characters, sometimes kept secret or confidential, that must be supplied by a user in order to gain full or partial access to a computer, computer system, or electronic device.

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password British  

/ ˈpɑːsˌwɜːd /

noun

1. a secret word, phrase, etc, that ensures admission or acceptance by proving identity, membership, etc

2. an action, quality, etc, that gains admission or acceptance

3. a sequence of characters used to gain access to a computer system

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• passwords
  plural

Etymology

Origin of password

First recorded in 1810–20; pass + word

Explanation

A password is a word — or a series of letters or numbers — that's kept secret. You might need a password to get into your brother's clubhouse or to use your friend's laptop. During World War II, soldiers used passwords to enter guarded areas; these were words or phrases (and responses) that only other Allied soldiers knew. Today, you're more likely to use a password for protecting an electronic device, for withdrawing money from a bank machine, or for logging into your email or social media account. The original meaning of password, from the late 1700s, was "word used to distinguish friend from foe."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

password passwords

Even password managers will likely need a refresh, according to Bas Westerbaan, principal research engineer at Cloudflare.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026

Until then, it’s a good idea to keep your system software updated and use a strong password.

From Salon ● Aug. 17, 2026

That pushed the company to delve into other areas including advertising, cracking down on password sharing and gaming.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 16, 2026

Setting up 2FA helps block bad actors who might know your password from accessing your private chat history.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 1, 2026

Harry managed to shake Neville off at the Fat Lady by telling him the password, then pretending he’d left his vampire essay in the library and doubling back.

From "Harry Potter And The Prisoner Of Azkaban" by J.K. Rowling

That means reviewing documents regularly and keeping logins and passwords in a safe place.

From MarketWatch ● Sep. 24, 2026

Its launch announcement said user credentials “go into secure storage” and “Muse has no visibility into people’s passwords or payment methods.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026

An Oppenheimer & Co. survey of U.S. consumers found just 8% would trust Meta with their passwords, less than a third of the number who would trust Google.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 18, 2026

Also, it will never ask you to transfer money, or ask for PIN codes or passwords.

From BBC ● Sep. 6, 2026

“Well, then he should make up passwords we can remember. Can you remember the last one?”

From "The Thief Lord" by Cornelia Funke

Related Words

• identification