login
Americannoun
-
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.
-
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)
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.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of login
First recorded in 1965–70
Compare meaning
How does login compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:
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.
See Examples For:
To submit a claim, users must provide an email address or phone number linked to the YouTube TV account and the login ID and PIN from the settlement notice they received.
From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 22, 2026
Modern hackers increasingly use these networks to steal the login credentials their victims use for cloud-computing services, said Adam Meyers, a senior vice president with the cybersecurity firm CrowdStrike.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 18, 2026
A BBC investigation in December found some driving instructors were being offered kickbacks of up to £250 a month to sell their login details to touts.
From BBC ● Jun. 17, 2026
Gather all the login credentials for your accounts, including banking and bills, as well as any other pertinent information someone might need to know to make sure everything is paid or transferred properly.
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 10, 2026
When the login prompt reappeared, I typed in LEUCOSIA.
From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline
One former No 10 staffer recalls arriving early in the morning, being "shuffled through weird corridors, taken into a room, choosing logins and signing our lives away".
From BBC ● Jul. 4, 2026
Premium accounts for ChatGPT and Claude can get pricey, but you should think twice before pooling your logins.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026
You can still be tracked through cookies, browser fingerprinting, account logins and other methods.
From Salon ● Feb. 12, 2026
Other issues were reported as well, related to logins, comments, and other features.
From Slate ● Jan. 27, 2026
But I thoute it best not to leve the plase, because she has taken the logins but for a fue nites.
From Clarissa Harlowe; or the history of a young lady — Volume 5 by Richardson, Samuel
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.
