passport

American  

[pas-pawrt, -pohrt, pahs-] / ˈpæs pɔrt, -poʊrt, ˈpɑs- /

noun

• passports
  plural

1. 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.

2. anything that ensures admission or acceptance.

   A good education can be your passport to success.

3. any authorization to pass or go somewhere.

4. 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.

5. a certificate intended to secure admission.

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passport British  

/ ˈpɑːspɔːt /

noun

1. 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

2. a licence granted by a state to a foreigner, allowing the passage of his person or goods through the country

3. another word for sea letter

4. a quality, asset, etc, that gains a person admission or acceptance

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• passportless
  adjective

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• passports
  plural

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!"

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

passport passports

"Why, when he's committed these offences against us girls, was he allowed to keep his passport? That's my question. Where is the justice?" she asked.

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026

Testing showed the new contactless system was up to 25% faster than using a passport, according to officials.

From BBC ● Oct. 6, 2026

Flores' lawyer Mark Donnelly suggested she be placed under house arrest with 24-hour armed surveillance, an electronic monitoring bracelet and that her passport be confiscated.

From Barron's ● Oct. 5, 2026

The Citizenship by Investment Program announced by the government proposes two "simple and transparent mechanisms" for obtaining an Argentine passport.

From Barron's ● Oct. 2, 2026

She felt sorry for Adelaide, though, and after taking the passport, she turned the backpack in to a lost properties office.

From "Genuine Fraud" by E. Lockhart

"Going forwards, I think they need to put into place that they remove the passports," one said.

From BBC ● Oct. 7, 2026

Moreover, although he holds passports for both countries, he has further fortified his safety net with German citizenship, for which he is eligible due to his German-born parents.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 27, 2026

Leeds manager Daniel Farke certainly thinks so as he threw his weight behind Calvert-Lewin and a number of others in his side with "English passports".

From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026

“Mursal and I acted like we were illegal, always with our passports in our pockets, even just to go to the driveway of the hotel,” Marwa said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026

M. Bouc, meanwhile, seizing upon the one tangible thing his friend had mentioned, was sorting through the passports.

From "Murder on the Orient Express" by Agatha Christie

Related Words

• authorization
• key
• license
• permit
• ticket
• visa
• warrant