1
a
: 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
b
: freedom or ability to obtain or make use of something
paying for access to the Internet
c
: 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]
d
: the act or an instance of accessing something
2
a
: onset sense 2
an access of illness
b
: 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
George Eliot3
: an increase by addition
a sudden access of wealth
accessed; accessing; accesses
: to get at : to gain access to: such as
a
: 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
b
: to open or load (a computer file, an Internet site, etc.)
a file that can be accessed by many users at the same time
Synonyms
Examples of access in a Sentence
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.
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Recent Examples on the WebDominic Tierney, Foreign Affairs, 11 Sep. 2023
Haters will say that the girl has no access to individual agency and political autonomy, and is therefore an enemy of serious activism—or seriousness, at all.
—Alex Quicho, WIRED, 11 Sep. 2023
Enjoy a year of unlimited access to The Atlantic—including every story on our site and app, subscriber newsletters, and more.
—Ruth Ben-Ghiat, The Atlantic, 11 Sep. 2023
Clients must make sound precious metal investment decisions with access to a content library.
—Laxmi Corp, The Salt Lake Tribune, 11 Sep. 2023
Educators with a total of more than 10,000 students have registered for access, organizers say.
—Jennifer Peltz and Karen Matthews, Anchorage Daily News, 11 Sep. 2023
Introductory offer: Unlimited digital access to Vogue for $2 $1/month.
—Laure Guilbault, Vogue, 11 Sep. 2023
Worse, in exchange for unprecedented access, the Isaacson Accord demands that a lot of the most difficult and pressing questions go unasked and, therefore, unanswered.
—Brian Merchant, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2023
Ultimately, Disney agreed to a historic deal, offering Charter’s subscribers access to services such as Disney+.
—Oliver Darcy, CNN, 11 Sep. 2023
Carol Robinson | Crobinson@al.com, al, 12 Sep. 2023
The private residences on offer are located between floors 15 and 30, above the hotel suites, and are accessed via dedicated elevators.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 12 Sep. 2023
The effort to now broaden exemptions to what records the public can access related to the governor's administration has brought together some unlikely allies.
—Libby Cathey, ABC News, 12 Sep. 2023
Regarding apartment units on the upper floors, Decker said the elevators and stairwells can only be accessed by key fobs of the tenants.
—Bob Sandrick, cleveland, 12 Sep. 2023
Mountain bikers can also access trails at Woodward Park City and Park City Mountain via lifts.
—Julie Jag, The Salt Lake Tribune, 12 Sep. 2023
The stream will feature Key Plays, a new feature allowing fans to access in-game highlights on demand.
—Stephen Battaglio, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2023
Thanks to new telemedicine tools, new moms can access treatment for postpartum depression and anxiety without leaving their living room.
—Courtney Biggs, Glamour, 11 Sep. 2023
More details and the entry form can be accessed here.
—Rachel Chang, Travel + Leisure, 11 Sep. 2023
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Noun
Subscribe to Foreign Affairs to get unlimited access.
—Dominic Tierney, Foreign Affairs, 11 Sep. 2023
Haters will say that the girl has no access to individual agency and political autonomy, and is therefore an enemy of serious activism—or seriousness, at all.
—Alex Quicho, WIRED, 11 Sep. 2023
Enjoy a year of unlimited access to The Atlantic—including every story on our site and app, subscriber newsletters, and more.
—Ruth Ben-Ghiat, The Atlantic, 11 Sep. 2023
Clients must make sound precious metal investment decisions with access to a content library.
—Laxmi Corp, The Salt Lake Tribune, 11 Sep. 2023
Educators with a total of more than 10,000 students have registered for access, organizers say.
—Jennifer Peltz and Karen Matthews, Anchorage Daily News, 11 Sep. 2023
Introductory offer: Unlimited digital access to Vogue for $2 $1/month.
—Laure Guilbault, Vogue, 11 Sep. 2023
Worse, in exchange for unprecedented access, the Isaacson Accord demands that a lot of the most difficult and pressing questions go unasked and, therefore, unanswered.
—Brian Merchant, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2023
Ultimately, Disney agreed to a historic deal, offering Charter’s subscribers access to services such as Disney+.
—Oliver Darcy, CNN, 11 Sep. 2023
Verb
His roster page was removed from the Alabama Athletics website and returned a 404 error code when accessed on Tuesday morning.
—Carol Robinson | Crobinson@al.com, al, 12 Sep. 2023
The private residences on offer are located between floors 15 and 30, above the hotel suites, and are accessed via dedicated elevators.
—Abby Montanez, Robb Report, 12 Sep. 2023
The effort to now broaden exemptions to what records the public can access related to the governor's administration has brought together some unlikely allies.
—Libby Cathey, ABC News, 12 Sep. 2023
Regarding apartment units on the upper floors, Decker said the elevators and stairwells can only be accessed by key fobs of the tenants.
—Bob Sandrick, cleveland, 12 Sep. 2023
Mountain bikers can also access trails at Woodward Park City and Park City Mountain via lifts.
—Julie Jag, The Salt Lake Tribune, 12 Sep. 2023
The stream will feature Key Plays, a new feature allowing fans to access in-game highlights on demand.
—Stephen Battaglio, Los Angeles Times, 11 Sep. 2023
Thanks to new telemedicine tools, new moms can access treatment for postpartum depression and anxiety without leaving their living room.
—Courtney Biggs, Glamour, 11 Sep. 2023
More details and the entry form can be accessed here.
—Rachel Chang, Travel + Leisure, 11 Sep. 2023
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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
Phrases Containing access
Articles Related to access
Dictionary Entries Near access
Cite this Entry
“Access.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/access. Accessed 25 Sep. 2023.
Copy Citation
Kids Definition
access
1 of 2 noun
ac·cess
ˈak-ˌses 
1
: permission or power to enter, approach, or make use of
access to secret information
Internet access
2
: 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
1
: 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
2
: opportunity for sexual intercourse
3
: a landowner's legal right to pass from his or her land to a highway and to return without being obstructed
4
: 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
L. H. Tribe5
a
: a way by which a thing or place may be approached or reached
b
: passage to and from a place
provide a means of access to the land
6
: opportunity to view or copy a copyrighted work
More from Merriam-Webster on access
Nglish: Translation of access for Spanish Speakers
Britannica English: Translation of access for Arabic Speakers
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