password

American  

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

noun

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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Etymology

Origin of password

First recorded in 1810–20; pass + word

Example Sentences

I changed the email and password associated with my PayPal account.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 25, 2026

According to Stratton, Lam, posing as a Google representative, called the investor and convinced the man to give up his password and security codes to prevent what Lam described as a hacking attempt.

From Los Angeles Times • Mar. 24, 2026

The conventional wisdom is that it’s safer than a password and more secure than credit cards.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 20, 2026

They include private web browsers, encrypted messaging apps, password managers, tracker blockers and Virtual Private Networks.

From BBC • Mar. 4, 2026

He hadn’t needed to password protect his computer to keep them from prying or hide anything he didn’t want them to see.

From "We Are the Ants" by Shaun David Hutchinson

Related Words

• identification