log in

British  

verb

1. Also: log on.  to enter (an identification number, password, etc) from a remote terminal to gain access to a multiaccess system

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noun

1. Also: login.  the process by which a computer user logs in

log in Idioms  

1. Also, log on. Enter into a computer the information needed to begin a session, as in I logged in at two o'clock, or There's no record of your logging on today. These expressions refer especially to large systems shared by numerous individuals, who need to enter a username or password before executing a program. The antonyms are log off and log out, meaning “to end a computer session.” All these expressions derive from the use of log in the nautical sense of entering information about a ship in a journal called a log book. [c. 1960]

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Example Sentences

I had so much built-up anxiety about facing my own numbers, but seeing my boyfriend lay his cards on the table gave me the courage to finally log in and look at mine.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 31, 2026

Maniya built an agent with Replit that can log in to diagnostic platforms, pull patient test results and add them to their charts.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 19, 2026

"We tried to log in yesterday, and it seems to be still working, but we hope that this decision will be reversed."

From Barron's • Feb. 12, 2026

Without his phone, he could not log in and his streak reset instantly.

From BBC • Jan. 30, 2026

I sit down on the bed and flip open my laptop, log in to my email account and start to compose a note to my mother.

From "The Girl on the Train" by Paula Hawkins

Related Words

• load