login

[lawg-in, log-, lawg-in, log-]

noun

1. the act of logging in to a database, mobile device, or computer, especially a multiuser computer or a remote or networked computer system.

   The program records the time of each login.

2. a username and password that allows a person to log in to a computer system, network, mobile device, or user account.

   I’ve forgotten my login again!

verb (used without object)

1. log in.

   Login with your new password.

Usage

Many who are neither professionals in the computer field nor amateur tech enthusiasts condemn the use of the solid form login as a verb, and with good reason. It doesn’t behave like a normal verb. You cannot say you have loginned, and you are never in the process of loginning. Moreover, you cannot even ask someone to login you; you must ask that person to log you in. Clearly, it is the two-word phrase log in that functions fully as an English verb, not the solid form. Normally, we would expect the verb phrase log in and the noun login to behave in the same way as similar pairs: blow out/blowout, crack down/crackdown, hang up/hangup, splash down/splashdown, turn off/turnoff, where the two-word phrase is a verb and the one-word form is a noun. And yet, this gluing together of terms like login, logon, backup, and setup as verbs is common, especially in writing about computers. Not for everyone, though; some well-known software companies, for example, carefully maintain the distinction in their programs and documentation. The wisest course is to find out what the standard is among those for whom you’re writing, and follow it.

Word History and Origins

Origin of login¹

First recorded in 1965–70

Example Sentences

There was, however, one crucial trace - at one point the scammer demanded Evan's Facebook login, and when they used this, they left behind an IP address.

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They explained that if I gave them my login details and security code then they would hack the BBC and then extort the corporation for a ransom in bitcoin.

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This was effectively them guaranteeing me this money at a minimum once I handed over my login details.

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The pop-ups were from the BBC's security login app asking me to verify that I was trying to log in to my BBC account.

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Attackers bombard a victim with these pop ups by attempting to reset a password or login from an unusual device.

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