Definition of 'key'
Word forms: plural, 3rd person singular present
tense keys
, present participle keying
, past tense, past participle keyed
1. countable noun
A key is a specially shaped piece of metal that you place in a lock and turn in order to
open or lock a door, or to start or stop the engine of a vehicle.
2. countable noun [usually plural]
The keys on a computer keyboard or typewriter are the buttons that you press in order to operate
it.
3. countable noun [usually plural]
The keys of a piano or organ are the long narrow pieces of wood or plastic that you press in order to
play it.
4. variable noun
5. countable noun
The key on a map or diagram or in a technical book is a list of the symbols or abbreviations used and their meanings.
6. adjective [ADJECTIVE noun]
7. countable noun
8. See also master key
Phrasal verbs:
See key in
COBUILD Advanced English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
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key
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Video: pronunciation of
key
key in British English 1
noun
1.
4.
any of a set of buttons operating a computer, typewriter, telephone, etc
5.
6.
a. Also called: tonality
b.
the main tonal centre in an extended composition
a symphony in the key of F major
c.
the tonic of a major or minor scale
d. See tuning key
7.
the key to adult behaviour lies in childhood
8.
a means of achieving a desired end
the key to happiness
10.
a list of explanations of symbols, codes, etc
15. electrical engineering
a.
a hand-operated device for opening or closing a circuit or for switching circuits
16.
the grooving or scratching of a surface or the application of a rough coat of plaster, etc, to provide a bond for a subsequent finish
17.
pitch
he spoke in a low key
19.
level of intensity
she worked herself up to a high key
21.
a wedge for tightening a joint or for splitting stone or timber
22. short for keystone (sense 1)
24. (modifier) photography
determining the tonal value of a photograph
aquamarine is an important key tone
adjective
25.
of great importance; crucial
a key issue
verb (mainly tr)
28.
to provide with a key or keys
30. (often foll by up)
32.
to include a distinguishing device in (an advertisement, etc), so that responses to it can be identified
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Derived forms
keyless (ˈkeyless) adjective
Word origin
Old English cǣg; related to Old Frisian kēi, Middle Low German keie spear
key in British English 2
noun
a variant spelling of cay
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
Key in British English
noun
John ( Phillip). born 1961, New Zealand politician; prime minister (2008–16)
Collins English Dictionary. Copyright © HarperCollins Publishers
key in American English 1
nounWord forms: plural keys
1.
2.
any of several instruments or mechanical devices resembling or suggesting this in form or use
; specif.,a.
a device to turn a bolt, etc.
a skate key, a watch key
b.
c.
something that completes or holds together the parts of another thing, as the keystone
of an arch or a roughened surface forming a secure base for plaster
d.
e.
a device for opening or closing an electric circuit
3.
something regarded as like a key in opening or closing a way, revealing or concealing, etc.
; specif.,a.
a place so located as to give access to or control of a region
Vicksburg was the key to the lower Mississippi
b.
a thing that explains or solves something else, as a book of answers, the explanations on a map, the code to a system of pronunciation, etc.
c.
a controlling or essential person or thing
4.
tone of voice; pitch
5.
a.
tone or style of thought or expression
in a cheerful key
b.
relative intensity of feeling
low-key remarks on a volatile subject
7. US, Basketball
8. Biology
an arrangement or listing of the significant characteristics of a group of organisms, used as a guide for taxonomic identification
10. Computing
a field in a record, used to uniquely identify that record
adjective
12.
controlling; essential; important
a key position
verb transitiveWord forms: keyed or ˈkeying
13.
to fasten or lock with a key or wedge
14.
to furnish with a key
; specif.,a.
to put the keystone in (an arch)
b.
to provide with an explanatory key
15.
to regulate the tone or pitch of
16.
to bring into harmony or accord
17.
Idioms:
Webster’s New World College Dictionary, 4th Edition. Copyright © 2010 by
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. All rights reserved.
Word origin
ME keye < OE cæge, akin to OFris kei, kēia, to secure, guard; (sense 7) < keyhole, its former shape
Examples of 'key' in a sentence
key
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Word lists with
key
terms used in botanyQuick word challenge
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Which term used in botany am I?
any of various small edible fruits such as the blackberry and strawberry
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the flat blade of a leaf, petal, or thallus
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a female sex organ, occurring in mosses, spore-bearing vascular plants, and gymnosperms, that produces a single egg cell in its swollen base
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any flowering plant of the class Dicotyledonae, normally having two embryonic seed leaves and leaves with netlike veins. The group includes many herbaceous plants and most families of trees and shrubs
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an organ of vegetative reproduction in plants such as the crocus, consisting of a globular stem base swollen with food and surrounded by papery scale leaves
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Trends of
key
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In other languages
key
British English: key
/kiː/ NOUN
computer, instrument The keys on a computer or instrument are the buttons that you press on it.
- American English: key /ˈki/ computer
- Arabic: مِفْتَاحٌ
- Brazilian Portuguese: tecla
- Chinese: 按键
- Croatian: tipka
- Czech: klávesa
- Danish: tast
- Dutch: toets muziek/computer
- European Spanish: clave
- Finnish: näppäin
- French: touche
- German: Taste
- Greek: πλήκτρο
- Italian: tasto
- Japanese: キー music/computer
- Korean: 키 자물쇠
- Norwegian: tangent
- Polish: klawisz muzyka/komputer
- European Portuguese: tecla
- Romanian: tastă
- Russian: клавиша
- Latin American Spanish: tecla
- Swedish: knapp tangent
- Thai: ปุ่มกด
- Turkish: tuş bilgisayar/piyano
- Ukrainian: клавіша
- Vietnamese: phím
British English: key
/kiː/ NOUN
for lock A key is a piece of metal that opens or closes a lock.
They put the key in the door and it opened.
- American English: key /ˈki/ for lock
- Arabic: مِفْتَاحٌ
- Brazilian Portuguese: chave
- Chinese: 钥匙
- Croatian: ključ
- Czech: klíč
- Danish: nøgle
- Dutch: sleutel
- European Spanish: llave
- Finnish: avain
- French: clé serrure
- German: Schlüssel
- Greek: κλειδί
- Italian: chiave
- Japanese: 鍵 for lock
- Korean: 열쇠
- Norwegian: nøkkel
- Polish: klucz do zamykania
- European Portuguese: chave
- Romanian: cheie
- Russian: ключ
- Latin American Spanish: llave
- Swedish: nyckel
- Thai: กุญแจ
- Turkish: anahtar kilit
- Ukrainian: ключ
- Vietnamese: chìa khóa
British English: key
ADJECTIVE /kiː/
The key person or thing in a group is the most important one.
He is expected to be the key witness at the trial.
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key
Source
Definition of key from the Collins English Dictionary
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deer
Mrs Cavendish is a friend of mine.
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