Dictionary.com
definitions

password

[pas-wurd, pahs-]
||
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR password ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

a secret word or expression used by authorized persons to prove their right to access, information, etc.
a word or other string of characters, sometimes kept secret or confidential, that must be supplied by a user in order to gain full or partial access to a computer, computer system, or electronic device.

RELATED CONTENT

What if a password didn’t contain words?
We’ve already discussed that hackers use dictionaries to help hack your passwords, but what if your passwords were controlled by your mind, not by words? Researchers at UC Berkeley’s School of Information announced that they are working on technology that reads your mind to open your email account, buy an app on iTunes, and check your bank balance. Security researchers determined that electroencephalograms (EEGs) are …
READ MORE
When Dictionaries Attack: How Hackers Use Dictionaries to Guess Passwords
It seems like there’s always a new story on millions of passwords being hacked. Each attack feels personal, especially if you’re one of the many people that has one password across several sites, whether it’s Facebook or LinkedIn, e-mail or a bank account. And since one way hackers fish out passwords is by using a dictionary attack (a name that brings shame to the honorable …
READ MORE

RELATED WORDS

identification, word, signal, countersign, watchword, key, phrase, ticket, parole

Origin of password

First recorded in 1810–20; pass + word

Synonyms for password

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR password ON THESAURUS.COM
1. watchword.
Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for password

Contemporary Examples of password

Historical Examples of password

  • The door only opened at the pleasure of those who knew its password.

    Melmoth Reconciled

    Honore de Balzac

  • I gave him another opportunity of giving the password, but he seemed ignorant of it.

    The Golden Face

    William Le Queux

  • Three figures habited in male attire approached the eastern gate, and gave a password.

  • Landers gave a password, then put the telephone away and sprang to his feet.

    Black Star's Campaign

    Johnston McCulley

  • Indeed, we are in a country where one can not travel without a passport, or a password, or a little pass-money.

    The Book of Khalid

    Ameen Rihani

British Dictionary definitions for password

password

noun

a secret word, phrase, etc, that ensures admission or acceptance by proving identity, membership, etc
an action, quality, etc, that gains admission or acceptance
a sequence of characters used to gain access to a computer system
Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
Word Origin and History for password
n.

"word appointed as a sign to distinguish friend from foe," 1798, from pass (v.) + word (n.).

Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper