Definition of ACCESS

access

Meanings

Plural: accesses

Noun

  • the right to enter
  • the right to obtain or make use of or take advantage of something (as services or membership)
  • a way of entering or leaving
    • "he took a wrong turn on the access to the bridge"
  • a code (a series of characters or digits) that must be entered in some way (typed or dialed or spoken) to get the use of something (a telephone line or a computer or a local area network etc.)
  • (computer science) the operation of reading or writing stored information
  • the act of approaching or entering
    • "he gained access to the building"
  • A way or means of approaching or entering; an entrance; a passage.
  • The act of approaching or entering; an advance.
  • The right or ability of approaching or entering; admittance; admission; accessibility.
  • The quality of being easy to approach or enter.
  • Admission to sexual intercourse.
  • An increase by addition; accession
  • An onset, attack, or fit of disease; an ague fit.
  • An outburst of an emotion; a paroxysm; a fit of passion.
  • The right of a noncustodial parent to visit their child.
  • The process of locating data in memory.
  • Connection to or communication with a computer program or to the Internet.
  • Complicity or assent.

Verb

  • obtain or retrieve from a storage device; as of information on a computer
  • reach or gain access to
    • "How does one access the attic in this house?"
  • To gain or obtain access to.
  • To have access to (data).

Origin / Etymology

From Middle English accesse, acces, borrowed from Middle French acces (“attack, onslaught”) or from its source Latin accessus, perfect passive participle of accēdō (“approach; accede”), from ad (“to, toward, at”) + cēdō (“move, yield”). Doublet of accessus. First attested in the early 14th century. The sense "entrance" was first attested about 1380.

Synonyms

access code, accession, admission, admittance, approach, entree, get at, memory access

Scrabble Score: 10

access is a valid Scrabble (US) TWL word
access is a valid Scrabble Word in Merriam-Webster MW Dictionary
access is a valid Scrabble Word in International Collins CSW Dictionary

Words With Friends Score: 12

access is a valid Words With Friends word