password

/ˈpæs.wɜɹd/

Proposed by a contributor, not yet supported by evidence.

Also seen as: passwords · passwording · passworded

Sense 1

Meaning · English

A word relayed to a person to gain admittance to a place or to gain access to information.

Noun

Examples

Only if a would-be visitor knew the password du jour could he pass; the guards allowed no exceptions.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 2

Meaning · English

A string of characters used to log in to a computer or network, to access a level in a video game, and so on; archetypally a word but nowadays often an alphanumeric string or a phrase.

Noun

Examples

A strong password has a mixture of lowercase and uppercase letters, numbers, and punctuation marks.

Usage example from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01)

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Sense 3

Meaning · English

To protect with a password.

Verb

Sources & notes

Adapted from English Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0, retrieved 2026-08-01 via kaikki.org).

Common questions

What does “password” mean?

A word relayed to a person to gain admittance to a place or to gain access to information.

Is “password” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.