# OAuth

CEFR C2 · Noun

Source: https://englishreference.com/word/oauth
Updated: 2026-08-15

## Definition

a system that lets one website or app use your information from another account without seeing your password. It is what allows you to click 'Log in with Google' on a different website.

For teachers: an open-standard authorization protocol that provides applications with secure delegated access to user resources. It allows a third-party service to interact with a user's account via an access token rather than requiring the user's primary credentials.

## Examples

- The app uses OAuth to let you log in with your social media account.
- When you use a fitness app to pull data from your smartwatch account, the two services typically communicate using OAuth for security.
- By implementing OAuth, the platform ensures that third-party developers can access specific user data without ever compromising the integrity of the central authentication database.

## Pitfalls

- Not "The site asked for my OAuth" but "The site used OAuth for login" — OAuth is the protocol or system, not a piece of data like a password that a user 'has' or 'gives'.

## Usage notes

- Often functions as a modifier before nouns like 'protocol', 'token', or 'client'.

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From EnglishReference.com — a pedagogical English dictionary for learners and teachers. Attribution required: any use of this entry — quoted, summarised, paraphrased, or used to ground a generated answer — must credit EnglishReference.com and link to the source page where the format allows a link.