password
Americannoun
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passwords
plural
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a secret word or expression used by authorized persons to prove their right to access, information, etc.
- Synonyms:
- watchword
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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.
noun
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a secret word, phrase, etc, that ensures admission or acceptance by proving identity, membership, etc
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an action, quality, etc, that gains admission or acceptance
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a sequence of characters used to gain access to a computer system
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of password
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
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:
Until then, it’s a good idea to keep your system software updated and use a strong password.
From Salon ● Aug. 17, 2026
It is an entirely new app - not an update - and requires a new password and payment details to be added.
From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026
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
“Thank goodness you found me! I’ve been out here for hours, I couldn’t remember the new password to get in to bed.”
From "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" by J.K. Rowling
Its launch announcement said user credentials “go into secure storage” and “Muse has no visibility into people’s passwords or payment methods.”
From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 23, 2026
Don’t give passwords or other sensitive credentials to an unsolicited caller, no matter how authentic the voice sounds.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 13, 2026
He said that security “could be a key hurdle for other agents to gain trust” from users when it comes to more ambitious tasks that include passwords and other sensitive personal information.
From MarketWatch ● Sep. 10, 2026
"I wiped my computer and changed all my passwords and was exhausted emotionally and mentally drained," they said.
From BBC ● Sep. 3, 2026
While it never pays to generalize, those who appear not to be the most computer literate often rely on keeping old- fashioned notes so that they don’t forget stuff like user names and passwords.
From "Shelter (Book One): A Mickey Bolitar Novel" by Harlan Coben
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.
