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

As spotted during an Android Authority code teardown, Google’s password manager for Android is getting an automatic passkey update feature. —Davey Winder, Forbes.com, 10 May 2025

Notably, the changes come as Microsoft marks a shift to passkeys for account log-ins. —Jibin Joseph, PC Magazine, 6 May 2025

With a password still associated with the account, many of the security benefits of passkeys are undermined. —ArsTechnica, 2 May 2025

Despite the best efforts of major technology companies to replace them with passkeys, the humble password remains with us. —Davey Winder, Forbes.com, 27 Apr. 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