multi-factor authentication

noun

mul·​ti-factor authentication ˌməl-tē-ˈfak-tər- 

-ˌtī-

variants or less commonly multifactor authentication

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

You may also wish to sign up for multi-factor authentication wherever possible as an added layer of security.

—Mashable.com

Multi-factor authentication: This electronic authentication method requires users to present at least two pieces of evidence proving their identity.

—sfgate.com

Multifactor authentication uses a combination of two or three different ways to authenticate your identity. The first is what you know—usually a password, but [it] can also include your response to a challenge question. … The second is what you have. This could be a physical device, for example, a smart card with a chip in it or a hardware token that generates one-time-only passwords. … The third is who you are, as indicated by some biometric such as a fingerprint or an iris scan. Almost every multifactor approach uses a password, and then combines this with the second or the third factor or both.

—eWeek.com

Let's say you're going to sign into your work or school account, and you enter your username and password. If that's all you need then anybody who knows your username and password can sign in as you from anywhere in the world! But if you have multifactor authentication enabled, things get more interesting. The first time you sign in on a device or app you enter your username and password as usual, then you get prompted to enter your second factor to verify your identity.

—support.microsoft.com

compare two-factor authentication

Examples of multi-factor authentication in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The privacy policy for Zoho Desk is clearly and easily accessible online, and the software supports multi-factor authentication (MFA) for enhanced protection and security. —PC Magazine, 21 Nov. 2025

NordPass also recommends the use of multi-factor authentication, as this adds an extra layer of security. —Greta Cross, USA Today, 18 Nov. 2025

People can protect themselves from phishing by using security software, regularly and automatically updating their phones, using multi-factor authentication on accounts and backing up data, according to the FTC. —Andrew Stanton, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Nov. 2025

The account was not guarded by an extra layer of security known as multi-factor authentication. —Charlotte Reck, CNN Money, 9 Nov. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1998, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for multi-factor authentication

• deinstitutionalization
• abbreviation
• abomination
• acceleration
• accentuation
• accommodation
• accreditation
• acculturation
• accumulation
• acetylation
• adjudication
• administration