access
noun · verb
Simple meaning
Approaching or entering.
Pronunciation
Say it like this:
aksesSay the bold part a little louder.
IPA pronunciation (US)
ˈæksɛs
This word is pronounced essentially the same in American and British English, so one transcription covers both.
IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet) is a standard way of writing speech sounds.
Definition
Everyday modern meanings first, grouped by part of speech.
noun
uncountable
The right or ability of approaching or entering; admittance; admission; accessibility.
The act of approaching or entering
“He gained access to the building.”
uncountable
A way or means of approaching or entering; an entrance; a passage.
uncountable
The quality of being easy to approach or enter.
A way of entering or leaving
“He took a wrong turn on the access to the bridge.”
countable
An outburst of an emotion; a paroxysm; a fit of passion.
verb
Reach or gain access to
“How does one access the attic in this house?”
transitive
To gain or obtain access to.
Word at a Glance
- Difficulty
- A1 · Beginner
- Frequency
- Very Common
- Typical Use
- Everyday English
Word Aura™
How this word commonly comes across.
Aura for this meaning
This meaning: The right or ability of approaching or entering; admittance; admission; accessibility.
'Access' often implies permission or a granted right to enter, rather than just the physical act of getting in. It's often paired with words like 'grant' or 'deny.' Compared to 'entry,' 'access' focuses on the *means* or *right*.
- Emotional tone
- Neutral
- Formality
- Neutral
- Intensity
- Not strongly marked
- How common
- Moderately common
- Connotation
- Matter-of-fact
- Usage feel
- Neutral and straightforward
Where you'll really hear it
Technology/Security
“You need a password to gain access to the system.”
Public services
“Everyone should have access to quality healthcare.”
Workplace policies
“Employees need badge access for restricted areas.”
Word Aura describes common impressions, not a measurement. Tone changes with sentence, speaker, relationship and situation.
How It’s Used
The word’s distinct uses, one example each.
Right / approachingnoun
“He gained access to the building.”
Enteringnoun
“He took a wrong turn on the access to the bridge.”
Reach / gainverb
“How does one access the attic in this house?”
More ways to use access
- “How does one access the attic in this house?”verb
- “He took a wrong turn on the access to the bridge.”noun
- “He gained access to the building.”noun
Share your sentence
Common Patterns and Combinations
How this word naturally appears with others.
Word Family
Related forms, grouped by how they connect.
Compound terms
Established multiword terms.
The interval between the time data is requested by the system and the time the data is provided by the drive.
A short road giving access to an expressway.
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…
Dispose of by selling.
Memory access to the computer disk on which information is stored.
The operation of reading or writing stored information.
More about this wordSynonyms, forms, origin
Synonyms
Use This Word
See how this word sounds in a real sentence.
Ask Vocabaura
Understand the word your way.
What Does It Mean Here?
Words can change meaning depending on context.
Use it yourself
Knowing “access” starts when you use it. Pick a next step, all free.
Dictionary data from Wiktionary via the Free Dictionary API. Simple meanings, combinations and word intelligence are built from verified reference data, no AI is used to load this page.