passport
Americannoun
-
passports
plural
-
an official document issued by the government of a country to one of its citizens and, varying from country to country, authorizing travel to foreign countries and authenticating the bearer's identity, citizenship, right to protection while abroad, and right to reenter their native country.
-
anything that ensures admission or acceptance.
A good education can be your passport to success.
-
any authorization to pass or go somewhere.
-
a document issued to a ship, especially to a neutral merchant ship in time of war, granting or requesting permission to proceed without molestation in certain waters.
-
a certificate intended to secure admission.
noun
-
an official document issued by a government, identifying an individual, granting him permission to travel abroad, and requesting the protection of other governments for him
-
a licence granted by a state to a foreigner, allowing the passage of his person or goods through the country
-
another word for sea letter
-
a quality, asset, etc, that gains a person admission or acceptance
Other Word Forms
Derived Forms
Inflected Forms
Nouns
Etymology
Origin of passport
First recorded in 1490–1500; earlier passeport from Middle French, equivalent to passe- (stem of passer to pass ) + port port 1
Explanation
A passport is a government-issued document you need to travel between countries. Americans must have a passport to travel out of the U.S., even if they're just going to Canada for the weekend. A passport is a small book that includes the name, nationality, and photograph of the person it belongs to. Its many pages are stamped each time you enter a new country. When you apply for a passport, you have to prove your identity and nationality, and have your picture taken. Colloquially, passport also means something that helps you get where you want to go: "This amusement part ticket is your passport to fun!"
Vocabulary lists containing passport
Greetings, World Traveler! — List 1
Looking to grow your vocabulary? Check out this interactive, curated word list from our team of English language specialists at Vocabulary.com – one of over 17,000 lists we've built to help learners worldwide!
Travel
Interested in learning more words like this one? Our team at Vocabulary.com has got you covered! You can review flashcards, quiz yourself, practice spelling, and more – and it's all completely free to use!
This Week in Words: Current Events Vocab for April 9–April 15, 2022
Want to remember this word for good? Start your learning journey today with our library of interactive, themed word lists built by the experts at Vocabulary.com – we'll help you make the most of your study time!
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:
According to Hamid's brother, he had been promised a passport, Syrian citizenship, a house, and a weapon, in return for delivering Tice - life-changing rewards.
From BBC ● Sep. 17, 2026
Among them were a passport photo and other information on Römer, the German entrepreneur.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 15, 2026
He said one immigration official told him that he could not get a passport "because of the Hong Kong issue" – but this was not confirmed in writing to him.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
Asking, “When was my son’s dentist appointment?” pulled the date from a text reminder, while “What’s my passport number?” retrieved the data from Photos.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026
In it, Jule found Imogen’s passport, plus a surprising number of tubes and compacts, all disorganized.
From "Genuine Fraud" by E. Lockhart
"In some cases, in order to prevent individuals from criticising the Chinese government overseas or to punish their rights advocacy activities, state security authorities directly refuse to issue passports," Kellogg adds.
From BBC ● Sep. 15, 2026
The second held Latvian and Russian passports and was believed to have acted as logistics coordinator and instructor for the attack.
From Barron's ● Sep. 2, 2026
As they submitted their American passports and entered the communist colossus, they appeared to be musicians, as indeed they were.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026
One man told the BBC he had met Prime Minister Andy Burnham on Friday when he visited the region, saying Burnham had promised to personally intervene to help his family get their passports.
From BBC ● Aug. 15, 2026
The man went inside with our passports, after we’d explained about the picnic and he’d glanced into the car and seen our daughter asleep, in her zoo of mangy animals.
From "The Handmaid's Tale" by Margaret Atwood
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.
