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

Until then, it’s a good idea to keep your system software updated and use a strong password.

From Salon ● Aug. 17, 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

Sharing Isn’t Caring: Even though AI companies frown on chatbot password sharing, people still do it, leading to embarrassing discoveries, personal data mix-ups and even cybersecurity issues.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jun. 28, 2026

Of course Mosca opened the door without asking for the password and earned himself a terrible telling off.

From "The Thief Lord" by Cornelia Funke

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

Complaints on ScotRail's social media channels saw a series of issues with passengers being forced to reset account passwords and journeys not appearing in booking searches.

From BBC ● Jul. 30, 2026

If you’re like me, you find yourself digging for passwords you can’t remember to accounts you don’t know the name of.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jul. 1, 2026

He sat propped against a tree, watching the red sentries passing to and fro in the firelight, hearing their quiet passwords and thinking about the excitements of the day.

From "The Once and Future King" by T. H. White

Related Words

• identification