two-factor authentication

noun

two-fac·​tor authentication ˈtü-ˈfak-tər- 

: a method of verifying the identity of a person (as for granting access to a system) by requiring a password and an additional form of authorization (such as a code, a fingerprint, or a smartphone app)

—abbreviation 2FA compare multi-factor authentication

Examples of two-factor authentication in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

How to keep your account secure: Set up two-factor authentication, update your password and monitor login alerts to protect your account from unauthorized access. —Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 13 June 2025

Another security protocol to put in place is two-factor authentication (2FA). —Kara McGinley, USA Today, 11 June 2025

According to Underdark, the bulk of the data was seemingly made up of SMS logs, obtained via a third-party vendor that operated two-factor authentication for the storefront. —Oliver Brandt, MSNBC Newsweek, 15 May 2025

Enable two-factor authentication: Enable two-factor authentication (2FA) whenever possible. —Kurt Knutsson, FOXNews.com, 1 June 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1990, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for two-factor authentication

• deindustrialization
• immunoprecipitation
• individualisation
• individualization
• institutionalisation
• institutionalization
• internationalization
• neovascularization
• operationalization
• abbreviation
• abomination
• acceleration