access

1 of 2

noun

ac·cess ˈak-ˌses

also

ik-ˈses

Synonyms of access next

: permission, liberty, or ability to enter, approach, or pass to and from a place or to approach or communicate with a person or thing

Investigators wanted to get access to his home.

consultants who have easy access to the president

: freedom or ability to obtain or make use of something

paying for access to the Internet

: a way or means of entering or approaching

A canal provides access to the river.

a building that provides wheelchair access [=a way for people in wheelchairs to enter]

: the act or an instance of accessing something

: onset sense 2

an access of illness

: a fit of intense feeling : outburst

If it had been in Tito's nature to feel an access of rage, he would have felt it against this bull-faced accomplice.—

George Eliot

: an increase by addition

a sudden access of wealth

access

2 of 2

verb

accessed; accessing; accesses

transitive verb

: to get at : to gain access to: such as

: to be able to use, enter, or get near (something)

accessed the computer by phone

a system that makes it easier to access the money in your bank account

: to open or load (a computer file, an Internet site, etc.)

a file that can be accessed by many users at the same time

Example Sentences

Noun We have Internet access at the library. a sudden access of hay fever was making him feel miserable Verb The new system makes it easier to access the money in your bank account. Your favorite radio stations can be accessed at the touch of a button. The file loads every time you access the website. The file can be accessed by many users at the same time. She could work at home by remotely accessing the company's network. You'll need a password to access the database. See More

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Cardona acknowledged the desire for equality to start earlier in the education system, expressing that the Department of Education is focused on addressing disparities and not ignoring the lack of equal access to higher education. —

Analisa Novak, CBS News, 30 June 2023 Johnson had access to and was listed on the account. —

Hannah Denham | Hdenham@al.com, al, 29 June 2023 Terms of the deal will also give George access to Primary Wave’s marketing team and publishing infrastructure, which includes digital strategy, licensing, synch opportunities, and film and TV production. —

Thania Garcia, Variety, 29 June 2023 Over 400 anti-LGBTQ+ bills were introduced in state legislatures this year through April 3, according to American Civil Liberties Union, including ones restricting access to gender-affirming care for trans youth. —

Clare Duffy, CNN, 29 June 2023 At Yellowstone, construction projects are taking place across the park to address last year’s devastating flood damage, stabilize road bridges, and rehabilitate the most heavily trafficked routes, including a 20+ mile section of Grand Loop Road, which allows access to Old Faithful. —

Erin Gifford, Condé Nast Traveler, 29 June 2023 This will mean developing programs in local elementary and secondary schools, partnerships with community colleges, and transfer policies that enable access to more resourced and selective institutions. —

Olatunde Johnson, Time, 29 June 2023 Pack toiletries or store smaller items in another internal pocket, and use the external pocket for easy-yet-secure access to important items like your phone or wallet. —

Molly Harris, Travel + Leisure, 29 June 2023 Several state legislatures have passed laws restricting people’s access to the polls in the years since the Shelby County decision, including restrictions on mail voting and strict voter ID requirements. —

Char Adams, NBC News, 28 June 2023

Verb

The company maintained that the hackers hadn’t accessed user data that wasn’t public. —

Mia Sato, The Verge, 19 June 2023 The services were supported by millions of dollars in federal COVID-19 relief funding to provide homes, meals and other support in an environment where homeless clients could access an array of services. —

Alex Demarban, Anchorage Daily News, 19 June 2023 The amendments would protect people who access reproductive procedures as well as health care providers. —

Laura Daniella Sepulveda, The Arizona Republic, 19 June 2023 But those classified materials can only be accessed in secure areas called sensitive compartmented information facilities, or SCIFs. —

Perry Stein, Washington Post, 18 June 2023 Depending on how the legal battle proceeds, the Comstock Act could end up having widespread consequences for those trying to access mifepristone—a group that includes patients having miscarriages. —

Ellen Wexler, Smithsonian Magazine, 15 June 2023 Paper forms and benefits cards became database tables and became the primary method for citizens to access public benefits like healthcare. —

Time, 15 June 2023 Hilary Seligman: Food insecurity is an inability to access enough resources for your basic needs. —

Hilary Seligman, The Conversation, 15 June 2023 Visitors can access the exhibition hall, gardens, and the public library. —

Stacey Leasca, Travel + Leisure, 14 June 2023 See More

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'access.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

Etymology

Noun

Middle English, "entrance, approach, attack of illness, fever, lovesickness," borrowed from Anglo-French & Medieval Latin; Anglo-French acces "attack of illness," (Old French also "liberty to approach"), borrowed from Latin accessus "approach, means of entry, right of approach, onset (of fever or illness)," action noun derived from accēdere "to approach" — more at accede

Verb

derivative of access entry 1

First Known Use

Noun

14th century, in the meaning defined at sense 2a

Verb

1953, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler

The first known use of access was in the 14th century

See more words from the same century

Articles Related to access

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'Access' and 'Excess'

This article provides access to an excess of information.

Cite this Entry

Style

“Access.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/access. Accessed 9 Jul. 2023.

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Kids Definition

access

1 of 2 noun

ac·cess ˈak-ˌses

: permission or power to enter, approach, or make use of

access to secret information

Internet access

: a way or means of approach

a nation's access to the sea

access

2 of 2 verb

: to get at : gain access to

Legal Definition

access

noun

ac·cess ˈak-ˌses

often attributive

: permission, liberty, or ability to enter, approach, communicate with, or pass to and from a place, thing, or person

public access to federal land

access to the courts

: opportunity for sexual intercourse

: a landowner's legal right to pass from his or her land to a highway and to return without being obstructed

: freedom or ability to obtain, make use of, or participate in something

the right to equal treatment holds with respect to a limited set of interests — like voting — and demands that every person have the same access to these interests—

L. H. Tribe

: a way by which a thing or place may be approached or reached

: passage to and from a place

provide a means of access to the land

: opportunity to view or copy a copyrighted work