Password Definition, Examples & How to Use It

Meaning 1：secret code (password)

password 🔊

/ˈpɑːswɜːd/

A secret word or set of letters and numbers that you use to unlock your devices or online accounts.

Person typing password asterisks on laptop keyboard

secret code 🔊

➕

/ˈsiːkrɪt kəʊd/

A password is a secret combination of letters, numbers, or symbols that you create to protect your personal information and prevent unauthorized access to your accounts or devices.

📁 Category：Technological Inventions 🔖 Level：Intermediate

📘 Details & Usage

📖 Root Explanation

pass (to go through) + word (a series of characters), literally 'a word that grants passage or access'.

💡 Mnemonic

Think: You need a special 'pass' to go through, and the 'word' is the key that unlocks the gate.

📖 Example

I always forget my phone's password, so I had to set it to unlock with my fingerprint. 🔊 I always forget my phone's password, so I had to set it to unlock with my fingerprint.

🔗 Collocations

forget a password – to be unable to recall the secret code

enter a password – to type the secret code into a system

reset a password – to change a forgotten password to a new one

🔄 Synonyms

passcode (n.) – a sequence of digits used for authentication, often shorter than a password

PIN (n.) – Personal Identification Number, a numeric password

secret word (n.) – a confidential term used for identification

🚫 Antonyms

public information (n.) – data that is not secret and freely accessible

open sesame (n.) – a figurative phrase for something that grants automatic access without security

🌱 Derivatives

passwordless (adj.) – without the need for a password

password-protected (adj.) – secured by a password

passworded (adj.) – having a password assigned

📖 Cultural Story

Originally a military term for a secret word used to identify allies (19th century). With the rise of computers, it became the standard term for authentication credentials.