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.

---

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

---

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

Similarly to that crawl, L.A.’s will feature a passport system, which involves delegating stamps for every purchase of $10 or more at each stop.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 21, 2026

Some European airports have seen hours-long queues at passport control.

From BBC ● Jul. 19, 2026

He became a U.S. citizen in 2011 and was traveling with his U.S. passport, his supporters say.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 14, 2026

They added that the prison had introduced a digital passport for prisoners which aimed to reduce the likelihood of missing important risk information.

From BBC ● Jul. 9, 2026

“Yes, for the passport and all the trouble he went to.”

From "Ruby Holler" by Sharon Creech

He confirmed that one of them was carrying two passports - a Spanish one and a Colombian one - while the other held a Serbian passport.

From BBC ● Jul. 22, 2026

Travellers arriving from outside the Schengen zone will still have to show their passports to officials at Gibraltar's airport and port.

From Barron's ● Jul. 14, 2026

Both Temerbek and Yeriomichev were Ukrainian nationals who later acquired Russian passports.

From BBC ● Jul. 6, 2026

In 1976, The Times described the center as a place to prepare for an overseas trip where visitors could get passports and visas, as well as exchange dollars for francs, marks, rubles and other currency.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 30, 2026

But we had passports and we would spend the money.

From "A Farewell To Arms" by Ernest Hemingway

Related Words

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