passkey

noun

pass·​key ˈpas-ˌkē 

plural passkeys

1

: a key that provides special access (as to a secure area)

… left his swipe-card passkey behind when he stepped outside the tower's secure door and was unable to get back in …

—UPI.com

: such as

a

: a key designed to open any of a set of similar locks : master key

b

: a key with a large part of the bit filed away to enable it to open low quality locks as a master key : skeleton key

2

: an authentication method that uses biometrics (such as fingerprint or facial recognition) to identify and grant access to an authorized user

Instead of a vulnerable password, passkeys work by using your biometric data as your login 'fingerprint.' For example, you could use the Touch ID button on a Mac or a facial recognition scanner on your smartphone to log in to your account. No typing required.

—digitaltrends.com

Examples of passkey in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Users are three times more successful signing in with passkeys than with passwords (98% versus 32%). —Zak Doffman, Forbes, 13 Dec. 2024

Keep your steamy romance novels on lock by creating a passkey for your Kindle. —Kim Komando, Fox News, 12 Dec. 2024

One is a new technical specification called Credential Exchange Protocol (CXP) that will make passkeys portable between digital ecosystems, a feature that users have increasingly demanded. —Lily Hay Newman, WIRED, 14 Oct. 2024

However, this latest passwords update is key to the greater acceptance of passkeys as the future of enhanced login security for all Windows 11 users. —Davey Winder, Forbes, 26 Nov. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

1633, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Kids Definition

passkey

noun

pass·​key ˈpas-ˌkē 

1

: a key for opening two or more locks

2

: skeleton key