to key
- verb
- /kiː/
- I am just waiting for my car to be keyed because I dare to have a Romney/Ryan sticker.
- key a car
- get keyed
- think someone keyed
The only thing they're interested in charging is anybody who keys a Tesla.
- The only thing they're interested in charging is anybody who keys a Tesla.
Examples
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When he found out that someone had keyed his car, he was very upset.
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The security footage showed a teenager keying parked cars in the lot.
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- Would your dad ever key a car?
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You get mad and throw rocks, screw you, key up people's cars.
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You keyed "truth or dare" into my car door.
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And girl, if she's keying your car, call the police, OK?
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I found my car keyed one night after I left it outside but obviously I couldn't prove it's her but enough was enough.
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The only thing they're interested in charging is anybody who keys a Tesla.
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Keyed: Someone keyed a 28-year-old Mercer Island man's Jeep overnight in the 3200 block of West Concord Way.
Blog text (12) -
It was obvious that the long scratch on her car was caused by someone who had keyed it.
Synonyms
To cut or mark a surface by scraping it with something sharp
To damage a surface by scraping it with something
To make a small dent in something, for example on a car or phone
Make small cuts or marks on a surface by rubbing it
Make a small scratch or chip in a painted surface
Antonyms
Idioms
Phrasal Verbs
Compounds
- Specialized
A key on Apple keyboards that you press with other keys to use shortcuts
- Specialized
A secure place on a computer that stores passwords and secret codes for apps and the system
- Specialized
A key on a keyboard that moves the cursor to the right to indent or align text
- Archaic
A small lever device used to send messages as dots and dashes by making and breaking an electric circuit
- Specialized
A key on a computer keyboard that you press with other keys to do special actions
- Specialized
A winged fruit from maple or ash trees with one seed that spins as it falls
- Specialized
A set of sharps or flats at the start of written music showing its key
A repeated decorative border of straight lines that turn in square corners, often on vases and buildings
- Specialized
A small metal tool with a six-sided end for turning screws with a matching hole
- Specialized
A small metal tool with a six-sided tip that turns screws with a six-sided hole in the head
- Archaic
A small metal key with a square hole used to wind old pocket devices that tell time
Surface Forms
Etymology
To key a car (scratch it) comes from using a metal key as the tool to make a mark, so the verb is literally to mark with a key.