password

American  

[pas-wurd, pahs-] / ˈpæsˌwɜrd, ˈpɑs- /

noun

• passwords
  plural

1. a secret word or expression used by authorized persons to prove their right to access, information, etc.

   Synonyms:

   watchword

2. 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.

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password British  

/ ˈpɑːsˌwɜːd /

noun

1. a secret word, phrase, etc, that ensures admission or acceptance by proving identity, membership, etc

2. an action, quality, etc, that gains admission or acceptance

3. a sequence of characters used to gain access to a computer system

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• passwords
  plural

Etymology

Origin of password

First recorded in 1810–20; pass + word

Explanation

A password is a word — or a series of letters or numbers — that's kept secret. You might need a password to get into your brother's clubhouse or to use your friend's laptop. During World War II, soldiers used passwords to enter guarded areas; these were words or phrases (and responses) that only other Allied soldiers knew. Today, you're more likely to use a password for protecting an electronic device, for withdrawing money from a bank machine, or for logging into your email or social media account. The original meaning of password, from the late 1700s, was "word used to distinguish friend from foe."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

password passwords

That pushed the company to delve into other areas including advertising, cracking down on password sharing and gaming.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 16, 2026

Setting up 2FA helps block bad actors who might know your password from accessing your private chat history.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 1, 2026

He admits he never went over the ground rules before sharing his password, and he hasn’t shared his account since.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026

NordVPN Basic starts at $3.39/month for a 2-year plan, while the Plus plan at $3.89/month adds Threat Protection Pro, NordPass password manager and a data breach scanner.

From Salon ● Jun. 2, 2026

Finally, Tío Ermenio pulls out a paper with the password.

From "Marcus Vega Doesn't Speak Spanish" by Pablo Cartaya

To immediately hinder hacking attempts, the agency recommended that water systems should be immediately removed from the internet as soon as possible and reset passwords.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026

ENB said it was "so sorry" for the "concerning" incident and that although no customer passwords or payment details had been leaked, it warned customers to be cautious of unexpected emails.

From BBC ● Aug. 4, 2026

Nonetheless, Claude used "basic techniques, such as exploiting weak passwords and unauthenticated endpoints," the blog continued.

From Barron's ● Jul. 31, 2026

The town has bolstered its financial controls, and now requires passwords for large contracts and closer scrutiny of ACH transfers.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 21, 2026

The ceremony continued for some time, with more perambulations and exchanges of secret passwords and hand signs, more invocations and singing, until C.P. found himself at last standing before the large central altar.

From "The Best of Enemies" by Osha Gray Davidson

Related Words

• identification