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
UPI.com
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
digitaltrends.comExamples of passkey in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Mastercard plans to remove the 16-digit primary account number (PAN) from all credit and debit cards, replacing it with tokenization, passkeys and biometrics.
—Kevin Pierce, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
Instead of using the current industry standard (FIDO's passkeys), LogMeOnce claims five patents issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office for cross-platform passwordless logins.
—Kim Key, PC Magazine, 8 Sep. 2025
Unlike other operating systems, these passkeys aren’t synced across your devices.
—Jacob Roach, Wired News, 3 Sep. 2025
Google recommends that users use passkeys — which utilize biometric data like fingerprints and facial scans — to maintain optimal account security.
—Toria Sheffield, People.com, 30 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for passkey
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Kevin Pierce, Forbes.com, 11 Sep. 2025
Instead of using the current industry standard (FIDO's passkeys), LogMeOnce claims five patents issued by the United States Patent and Trademark Office for cross-platform passwordless logins.
—Kim Key, PC Magazine, 8 Sep. 2025
Unlike other operating systems, these passkeys aren’t synced across your devices.
—Jacob Roach, Wired News, 3 Sep. 2025
Google recommends that users use passkeys — which utilize biometric data like fingerprints and facial scans — to maintain optimal account security.
—Toria Sheffield, People.com, 30 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for passkey
Cite this Entry
“Passkey.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/passkey. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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passkey
noun
pass·key
ˈpas-ˌkē 
1
: a key for opening two or more locks
2
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