two-factor authentication

noun

two-fac·​tor authentication ˈtü-ˈfak-tər- 

: a method of verifying the identity of a person (as for granting access to a system) by requiring a password and an additional form of authorization (such as a code, a fingerprint, or a smartphone app)

—abbreviation 2FA compare multi-factor authentication

Examples of two-factor authentication in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

How to protect yourself from identity theft Unique passwords and two-factor authentication will stymie some hackers, but freezing your credit prevents anyone from applying for new lines of credit in your name. —Brian Sloan, CNBC, 4 Feb. 2026

New features set to improve the player experience include a download manager, a gifting option, and unified text chat across the Epic ecosystem through the Epic Games App, which now features a unified text chat experience and two-factor authentication. —Jennifer Maas, Variety, 3 Feb. 2026

This year, Data Privacy Day shouldn’t just be about personal hygiene like password managers and two-factor authentication. —Tony Bradley, Forbes.com, 26 Jan. 2026

That can be a big deal because your phone number is tied to important things like banking alerts and two-factor authentication codes. —Ken Colburn, AZCentral.com, 26 Jan. 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1990, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for two-factor authentication

• deindustrialization
• immunoprecipitation
• individualisation
• individualization
• institutionalisation
• institutionalization
• internationalization
• neovascularization
• operationalization
• abbreviation
• abomination
• acceleration