passport

passport — noun

1. an official document from your country that proves your identity for foreign tra

1.nounA2
Definition

an official document from your country that proves your identity for foreign travel.

Example

At the airport, Lina showed her passport before boarding the flight to Seoul.

show your passport at the airport

My new passport arrived two weeks before our family trip to Canada.

a new passport arrives before a trip

Common collocations
  • valid passport
  • expired passport
  • show your passport
  • carry a passport
  • renew a passport
  • passport control
Synonyms
  • travel document

    a broader official term that can include refugee papers and other border documents, not only a national passport.

  • identification document

    much broader; it may prove identity inside one country and may not allow foreign travel.

  • travel papers

    informal plural; can mean several documents together, such as a passport and visa.

Grammar Patterns

show your passport

carry a passport

a valid passport

Usage Note

Often appears with verbs like 'show', 'carry', 'check', and adjectives like 'valid' or 'expired'. Distinguish from a visa: a passport proves identity and nationality, while a visa gives permission to enter.

Common Mistakes

I forgot my visa at home, so I could not prove who I was at the airport.
I forgot my passport at home, so I could not prove who I was at the airport.
a visa gives permission; a passport is the identity document.
My passport is overdue, so I need a new one.
My passport has expired, so I need a new one.
use 'expire' for documents, not 'overdue'.

2. a document for a pet that records health details and shots for travel abroad.

2.nounB2
Definition

a document for a pet that records health details and shots for travel abroad.

Example

Before the ferry trip, Elena got a passport for her dog Milo.

a passport for a dog

The vet wrote Milo's vaccine dates in the passport.

write vaccine dates in a passport

Common collocations
  • pet passport
  • dog passport
  • cat passport
  • vaccine dates
  • microchip number
  • current passport
Synonyms
  • pet passport

    the usual everyday name for this kind of document.

  • animal travel document

    a broader formal phrase that can cover more than one kind of border paper.

  • health certificate

    often narrower; it may prove medical status without being the full passport booklet or record.

Grammar Patterns

a passport for a dog

write vaccine dates in a passport

check an animal's passport

Usage Note

Used for an animal's own travel record, usually with pets crossing borders. Distinguish from sense 1: the holder is the animal, not the owner.

Common Mistakes

We got a passport to our dog before the trip.
We got a passport for our dog before the trip.
use 'for' with the animal that needs the document.
The cat entered France with our family passport.
The cat entered France with its own pet passport.
the animal needs its own record.

3. an official record proving you have had a particular vaccine, used for travel or

3.nounB2
Definition

an official record proving you have had a particular vaccine, used for travel or entry.

Example

During the outbreak, travelers showed a vaccine passport at the concert hall.

show a vaccine passport for entry

Nora saved her vaccine passport on her phone before flying to Singapore.

save a vaccine passport on your phone

Common collocations
  • vaccine passport
  • COVID passport
  • show a passport
  • scan a passport
  • passport for entry
Synonyms
  • vaccine passport

    the most common exact phrase for this document.

  • vaccination passport

    a slightly more formal full form with the same meaning.

  • health pass

    broader; it can include test results or recovery records as well as vaccination proof.

Grammar Patterns

show a vaccine passport

save a vaccine passport on your phone

passport for entry

Usage Note

Often appears with a disease name or 'vaccine' before it, for example 'COVID passport' or 'vaccine passport'. Distinguish from sense 1, which proves identity, and sense 2, which belongs to an animal.

Common Mistakes

The arena checked my passport to see my name.
The arena checked my vaccine passport to see my vaccination record.
this sense is about proof of vaccination, not identity alone.
I saved my passport vaccine on my phone.
I saved my vaccine passport on my phone.
the usual order is 'vaccine passport'.

4. something that helps you reach a place, group, or success you want.

4.nounC2
Definition

something that helps you reach a place, group, or success you want.

Example

For many young actors, online videos became a passport to wider fame.

a passport to fame

For Mei, strong English became a passport to hotel jobs in Sydney.

a passport to better jobs

Common collocations
  • passport to fame
  • passport to success
  • passport to freedom
  • passport to a better life
Synonyms
  • key

    more general and often less formal; it can mean the main reason something works.

  • gateway

    suggests an opening into a new area, often with a slightly more vivid image.

  • route

    focuses on the path or method, not on special access or advantage.

  • ticket

    informal in expressions like 'a ticket to success'; it sounds less formal than passport.

Antonyms
  • barrier

    something that prevents access or progress.

  • obstacle

    something that gets in the way of reaching a goal.

Grammar Patterns

something is a passport to something

give someone a passport to something

Usage Note

Nearly always appears in the pattern 'a passport to ...'. It is figurative and more formal than simply saying 'a way to' or 'a chance for'.

Common Mistakes

Her degree was a passport for a good job.
Her degree was a passport to a good job.
this figurative sense normally takes 'to', not 'for'.
Money gave him passport to power.
Money gave him a passport to power.
use the article 'a' before the singular noun.

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

A 'passport' is the standard document a country gives its citizens for international travel. It proves who you are and what country you belong to. A 'travel document' is a broader official label: it can include a passport, but it may also mean refugee papers or other special border documents. An 'ID card' proves identity too, but it is usually for use inside one country and does not replace a passport for most foreign trips. A 'visa' is different again: it is permission to enter a country, not the main identity document itself. Compare: 'She renewed her passport before the trip,' 'The refugee traveled with a special travel document,' 'He showed his ID card at the bank,' and 'They still needed a visa for the visit.'

passport ↗travel documentID cardvisa ↗

Common collocations

Phrases

  • show a passport
  • check a passport
  • carry a passport
  • issue a passport

Etymology

FrenchEnglish

English borrowed 'passport' from French in the 15th century. The French form 'passeport' combines words meaning 'pass' and 'port' or 'gateway'. At first it meant a permit that let someone move through a gate, harbour, or border point. Later, the idea narrowed to the travel document people carry when they cross from one country to another.