access

American  

[ak-ses] / ˈæk sɛs /

noun

• accesses
  plural

1. 

   the ability, right, or permission to approach, enter, speak with, or use; admittance.

   They have access to the files.

2. a way or means of approach.

   The only access to the house was a rough dirt road.

3. the state or quality of being approachable.

   Located deep in the woods on an island with no dock, the cabin was difficult of access.

4. Theology. approach to God through Jesus Christ.

5. an attack or onset, as of a disease or symptom.

   Some influenza patients experience attacks for many weeks after the primary access.

   In a violent access of coughing I fractured one of my ribs.

6. a sudden, strong burst of emotion.

   In an access of clumsy tenderness, he tried to dry the tears that trembled on her eyelashes.

7. accession.

8. public-access television.

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verb (used with object)

• accesses,
  present (3rd person singular)
• accessed,
  past participle,  past
• accessing
  present participle

1. to make contact with or gain access to; be able to reach, approach, enter, etc..

   Bank customers can access their checking accounts instantly through the online portal.

2. Computers. (of a program or system component) to retrieve (data) for use by another program or application or for transfer from one part of the system to another.

   This key enables other applications to access data from within the event management system even if you aren't logged in.

adjective

1. Television. (of programming, time, etc.) available to the public.

   Six channels now offer access services.

access British  

/ ˈæksɛs /

noun

1. the act of approaching or entering

2. the condition of allowing entry, esp (of a building or room) allowing entry by wheelchairs, prams, etc

3. the right or privilege to approach, reach, enter, or make use of something

4. a way or means of approach or entry

5. the opportunity or right to see or approach someone

   she fights for divorce and free access to her children

6. (modifier) designating programmes made by the general public as distinguished from those made by professional broadcasters

   access television

7. a sudden outburst or attack, as of rage or disease

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verb

1. to gain access to; make accessible or available

2. (tr) computing

   1. to obtain or retrieve (information) from a storage device

   2. to place (information) in a storage device See also direct access sequential access

Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• preaccess
  noun

Inflected Forms

Nouns

• accesses
  plural

Participles

• accessing
  present
• accessed
  past

Conjugated Forms

Present

• access
  simple
• accesses
  simple
• have accessed
  perfect
• has accessed
  perfect
• am accessing
  progressive
• are accessing
  progressive
• is accessing
  progressive
• have been accessing
  perfect progressive
• has been accessing
  perfect progressive

Past

• accessed
  simple
• had accessed
  perfect
• was accessing
  progressive
• were accessing
  progressive
• had been accessing
  perfect progressive

Future

• will access
  simple
• will have accessed
  perfect
• will be accessing
  progressive
• will have been accessing
  perfect progressive

Etymology

Origin of access

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English accesse, from Old French acces or directly from Latin accessus “an approach,” equivalent to acced-, variant stem of accēdere “to accede ” + -tus suffix of verb action

Explanation

Most libraries provide computers you can use to access the Internet. If chemicals are being stolen from a lab, you might ask who has access to the lab. Access is approaching or making use of something, or the ability to do so Sometimes the word is applied to a person. If you work in the same room as your boss, you might have easy access to her. A really good boss will work hard to make herself accessible to her employees. Access is from Middle English, from Middle French acces "arrival," from Latin accessus "an approach," from accedere "to approach."

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

access accesses accessed accessing

Apple says for cloud-based requests, the company doesn’t store your data, and neither Apple nor Google can access it.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 14, 2026

He has yet to see a paper demonstrating that AI access improves learning outcomes in children.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026

Among the recommendations made in the report was putting an end to the use of the small metal enclosures, greater access to showers for inmates and more recreation time.

From Barron's ● Sep. 14, 2026

On social media, F1 fans also criticised access and the facilities, including having to sit on earth trackside, poor visibility, broken facilities and a general lack of readiness.

From BBC ● Sep. 14, 2026

As a student at PS 394, she’d become a skilled hacker despite only having access to some ancient PCs in the school’s computer lab.

From "City Spies" by James Ponti

Doing so accesses the car’s maximum torque of over 1,000 Newton-meters—793 lb-ft.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Apr. 4, 2026

If the system makes a match, it accesses the individual’s associated tax file and pulls the address listed during the most recent tax period.

From Salon ● Jul. 15, 2025

"Trimingham beach is a really remote location and there aren't any nearby beach accesses so they were put there to move things around like concrete, steel sheet piles and timber."

From BBC ● Aug. 26, 2024

Benesch accesses a fundamental decency that almost makes Nowak’s sneakiness forgivable.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jan. 4, 2024

Foreseeing the need thereof in these disturbed times, my father and Loysik had the unprotected accesses of the valley fortified with fosses and entrenchments made of felled trees.

From The Poniard's Hilt Or Karadeucq and Ronan. A Tale of Bagauders and Vagres by Eugène Sue

The repository was built into the bedrock of the World Trade Center site and can only be accessed by medical examiner staff.

From BBC ● Sep. 10, 2026

That might be how the scammer accessed their phone numbers in the first place.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 8, 2026

Banque Misr’s United Arab Emirates branch accessed U.S. correspondent accounts and routed as much as $1.8 billion for companies that were potentially part of Iranian shadow-banking networks, officials said.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Sep. 6, 2026

Three major UK airports have been hit by a "cyber security incident" in which criminal cyber hackers accessed the data of almost nine million people.

From BBC ● Aug. 27, 2026

I selected both vidfeed cameras and accessed their configuration settings.

From "Ready Player One: A Novel" by Ernest Cline

“No family should have to choose between accessing healthcare and nutrition assistance today — or protecting their pathway to a green card tomorrow,” Bonta said.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 14, 2026

Along Point Dume in Malibu, ocean waves have eaten away some 60 feet of sand, threatening a road essential to accessing the parking lot, according to the L.A.

From Los Angeles Times ● Sep. 2, 2026

Jeff became adept at accessing grants and even had a donation from the late queen for one of his projects to help young people, though he cannot reveal the amount she sent.

From BBC ● Sep. 1, 2026

Each consortium plans to release a new app for accessing their AI service, while also incorporating AI into its existing tools for ease of access.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 28, 2026

I got so good at it that I made it through a few days without accessing once.

From "Every Day" by David Levithan

Related Words

• approach
• connection
• entry