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Some buildings require a magnetic card to get in.

I asked a question before and it seems that people say "I swipe into the building every morning".

However, some buildings require you to put your fingerprint over a laser scanner, they will let you into the building if your fingerprint matches in their database.

Note: You might not need to touch the laser scanner with your finger or thumb, just need to put your fingerprint a few centimeters away from the scanner.

Is it correct to say "I fingerprint into the building"?

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  • It would be perfectly understandable but it is not an established expression.
    – user167304
    Feb 20 at 16:07

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Is 'fingerprint' a widely understood verb? No.

Would it be understood in context? Probably, yes.

If you work in a building where lots of people either use an ID card or fingerprint biometric ID to enter the building, then almost certainly your colleagues would know what you meant if you said you "fingerprint in". As you point out, it is in line with other common terms like 'swipe in', 'clock in' etc. But to anyone who doesn't know about biometric IDs, it probably wouldn't make any sense.

Workplaces very often have their own terminology or jargon and you should not expect these to always follow the rules of grammar or for words used as jargon to follow their dictionary definitions.

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  • 2
    Google found on Twitter: the cold from my strawberry daiquiri glass wouldn't let me fingerprint into my phone
    – Michael Harvey
    Feb 20 at 14:28

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