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

You'll have one passkey per login, and passkeys will sync across all of your devices …

—Juli Clover

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

The good news is that setting up passkeys takes just a few minutes, and once they're enabled, logging in becomes faster and more secure. —Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 28 Oct. 2025

There are also simple steps that organizations should already be taking—such as implementing multifactor authentication (MFA), device authentication, and passkeys. —Eleanor Pringle, Fortune, 16 Oct. 2025

Google provides a substantial amount of passkey storage, up to 250 resident passkeys—far more than the 100 passkeys allowed by Yubico's Security Key C. —PC Magazine, 12 Oct. 2025

And when using a password to sign in to an app or website that supports passkeys, those apps will automatically be able to generate a passkey for that account and add it to the user's password manager. —ArsTechnica, 15 Sep. 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