password

UK: /ˈpɑːswɜː^rd/ US: /ˈpæsˌwɝd/ ,(pas′wûrd′, päs′-)

WordReference Random House Learner's Dictionary of American English © 2025

pass•word /ˈpæsˌwɜrd/   n. [countable]

1. a secret word or expression used to gain entrance, access to an automatic teller machine, etc.

See -pass²-.

WordReference Random House Unabridged Dictionary of American English © 2025

pass•word  (pas′wûrd′, päs′-), n. 

1. a secret word or expression used by authorized persons to prove their right to access, information, etc.
2. Computing 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 multiuser computer system or its data resources. Cf. countersign. 

• pass + word 1810–20

Synonyms

• 1. . watchword.

Collins Concise English Dictionary © HarperCollins Publishers::

password / 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