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

These are definitely things that unnecessarily confuse and complicate the use of passkeys. —Dan Goodin, Ars Technica, 30 Dec. 2024

The majority of those familiar with passkeys are enabling the technology to sign in. —Zak Doffman, Forbes, 16 Dec. 2024

Apple’s Passwords app could help with the perception and transition to passkeys, Lassak says. —Matt Burgess, WIRED, 16 Sep. 2024

The accelerated deployment of passkeys, as seen with Microsoft’s latest push to delete passwords altogether will address this problem. —Zak Doffman, Forbes, 18 Dec. 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