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

In just three weeks, the company will delete passwords saved within its Authenticator app, which will just be for passkeys moving forward. —Zak Doffman, Forbes.com, 11 July 2025

These tools, known as FIDO2 or WebAuthn passkeys, are far harder for hackers to fake or phish. —Sharon Goldman, Fortune, 10 July 2025

Google recommends all users upgrade their accounts to add passkeys and then to use these instead of passwords and 2FA. —Zak Doffman, Forbes.com, 29 June 2025

How Google and Meta are responding to the massive password leak A Google spokesperson stated that this issue did not stem from a Google data breach and that Google continues to strongly encourage users to adopt more secure, passwordless authentication methods, such as passkey. —Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 25 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1633, in the meaning defined at sense 1

Rhymes for passkey

• ascii

Kids Definition

passkey

noun

pass·​key ˈpas-ˌkē 

1

: a key for opening two or more locks

2

: skeleton key