authentication
Americannoun
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the act or process of establishing something as genuine or authoritative.
The requisite authentication was performed on each piece before it was donated to the museum.
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Also called electronic authentication. Digital Technology. the act or process of establishing identity and verifying permission to access an electronic device or computer network (often used attributively): biometric authentication;
password authentication;
biometric authentication;
authentication credentials.
Other Word Forms
Etymology
Origin of authentication
First recorded in 1600–20; authenticat(e) ( def. ) + -ion ( def. )
Example Sentences
Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.
Go to the security settings and turn on two-factor authentication for all services, too.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 5, 2026
Bekyarova-Delev said she had then paid for an independent authentication, which had found the bag to be fake.
From BBC ● Aug. 11, 2026
Improving cybersecurity practices such as using two-factor authentication for devices is a start.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 29, 2026
"Inadequate basic safeguards, including poor management of authentication signing keys and lax access controls" caused the personal data of around 37.5 million users to be exposed, the commission said in a statement.
From Barron's ● Jun. 11, 2026
From now on, wherever he went, he’d be closely trailed by a military aide carrying a forty-five-pound briefcase containing launch authentication codes and sophisticated communications devices, often referred to as the nuclear football.
From "Becoming" by Michelle Obama
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
