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.
Recent Examples on the Web
Kristin Shaw, Popular Science, 14 Nov. 2024
Plus, with 1TB of solid-state storage, there’s plenty of room for big files and quick access to all your apps.
—Stackcommerce Team (sponsored), PCMAG, 12 Nov. 2024
Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 13 Nov. 2024
The anonymous tip came via P3 Tips, a mobile app that can be downloaded on cellphones or accessed via the web to submit anonymous tips to Crime Stoppers programs and law enforcement agencies.
—Karen Kucher, The Mercury News, 13 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for access 
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
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Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
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Noun
Then, every piece is tested with in-house employees who have pre-release access, Cannistra states.
—Kristin Shaw, Popular Science, 14 Nov. 2024
Plus, with 1TB of solid-state storage, there’s plenty of room for big files and quick access to all your apps.
—Stackcommerce Team (sponsored), PCMAG, 12 Nov. 2024
Verb
The introduction of systems like Apple and Google CarPlay, which let users access some of their phone features through a car’s in-cabin display, similarly incentivized carmakers to outfit their vehicles with larger, more intuitive touch displays.
—Mack Degeurin, Popular Science, 13 Nov. 2024
The anonymous tip came via P3 Tips, a mobile app that can be downloaded on cellphones or accessed via the web to submit anonymous tips to Crime Stoppers programs and law enforcement agencies.
—Karen Kucher, The Mercury News, 13 Nov. 2024
See all Example Sentences for 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 26 Nov. 2024.
Copy CitationKids 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
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