username

noun

us·​er·​name ˈyü-zər-ˌnām 

variants or less commonly user name

plural usernames also user names

: a sequence of characters that identifies a user (such as on a computer system, website, or social media platform)

Never reuse a username and password combination. While doing so is convenient, if that combination is ever stolen from one service you use … it will expose every service you have that uses it.

—Rachel Cericola

These e-mail addresses generally look like this: "[e-mail]".

—Walter S. Mossberg

called also user ID

Examples of username in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

In a viral TikTok video shared on Sunday under the username @wallkittys, the adult cat, Morty, sits at a distance watching the new kitten play, with a miserable expression on his face. —Maria Azzurra Volpe, MSNBC Newsweek, 9 May 2025

For decades, identity management was the quiet workhorse of IT, a necessary function relegated to managing usernames, passwords and access within the confines of a corporate network. —Rajat Bhargava, Forbes.com, 6 May 2025

The website hosts an active leaderboard displaying the usernames of the coin’s top buyers. —Mackenzie Sigalos, NBC news, 5 May 2025

Nelson and others were able to get into the Ring accounts by illicitly obtaining usernames and passwords for Yahoo email accounts and identifying individuals who used the same credentials for their Ring home security systems. —Kaitlyn Huamani, Los Angeles Times, 1 May 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1971, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for username

• aspartame
• counterclaim
• overcame
• underframe
• acclaim
• aflame
• airframe
• ballgame
• became
• declaim
• defame
• disclaim

Kids Definition

username

noun

: a sequence of characters that identifies a user when logging onto a computer or website

called also user ID