/ ˈækses; NAmE / noun , verb
■ noun [ U ]
1.
access (to sth) a way of entering or reaching a place :
The only access to the farmhouse is across the fields.
Disabled visitors are welcome; there is good wheelchair access to most facilities.
The police gained access through a broken window.
—compare egress
2.
access (to sth) the opportunity or right to use sth or to see sb/sth :
Students must have access to good resources.
You need a password to get access to the computer system.
access to confidential information
Journalists were denied access to the President.
Many divorced fathers only have access to their children at weekends (= they are allowed by law to see them only at weekends) .
—compare visitation
■ verb [ vn ]
1.
( computing ) to open a computer file in order to get or add information
2.
( formal ) to reach, enter or use sth :
The loft can be accessed by a ladder.
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WORD ORIGIN
early 17th cent.: from Latin accessus , from the verb accedere to approach, from ad- to + cedere give way, yield