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to key

to key

12 8.4
To scratch a car's paint with a sharp object
  • verb
  • /kiː/
translation icon : rayar
  • 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.

Examples

  • When he found out that someone had keyed his car, he was very upset.

  • The security footage showed a teenager keying parked cars in the lot.

  • - Would your dad ever key a car?

  • You get mad and throw rocks, screw you, key up people's cars.

  • You keyed "truth or dare" into my car door.

  • And girl, if she's keying your car, call the police, OK?

  • 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.

  • The only thing they're interested in charging is anybody who keys a Tesla.

  • 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 scratch
vsto key
161 1.1

To cut or mark a surface by scraping it with something sharp

is the same damage but done deliberately on a vehicle using a metal object
to scuff
vsto key
12 3.6

To damage a surface by scraping it with something

is more deliberate harm to a vehicle using a metal object
to ding
vsto key
8 3.8

To make a small dent in something, for example on a car or phone

is deliberate surface damage to a vehicle caused with a metal object
to scratch up
vsto key
1 3.5

Make small cuts or marks on a surface by rubbing it

is damage aimed at a vehicle and caused deliberately with a metal object
4.9

Make a small scratch or chip in a painted surface

is the same harm but specifically done on a vehicle with a metal object

Antonyms

352 2.3

Work done to fix something that is broken

Idioms

228 2.8

The main thing that makes something succeed or work

Kept in a locked place so people cannot take it

12 8.8

Put someone in prison for life with no hope of release

Put someone in prison and never let them out

1 5.8

Not singing or playing the right musical notes

in a minor key
  • Specialized
1 6.6

Music that uses notes that make the song sound sad or serious

An important thing or action that helps deal with a problem

Put someone in prison and never let them leave

Avoid extremes and do things in a balanced way

Doing something at the right moment is important for success

Phrasal Verbs

3 3.4

To type information into a computer or device using a keyboard

To type notes or information on a computer keyboard

to key out
  • Jargon
8.4

Find the name of a plant or animal using a guide

To match your voice to the notes of the song

Compounds

43 3.1

A main idea in a talk or report

42 2.3

The main problems in a discussion or situation

40 3.2

An important person who helps decide what happens in a group

33 3.6

An important part of a process, event, or group

The most important part of something, often in a recipe or plan

12 4.5

A voice or instrument that sounds in the wrong pitch

12 3.8

An important person who plays the main role in a group or event

11 3.0

A small round yellow-green lime with a very tart taste used in desserts

6 1.0

A small metal ring that holds keys together

5 3.7

Important proof that helps decide a legal case or argument

4 3.5

An important word used to find a text in a search

4 3.4

A key that opens many different locks in a building

2 5.9

A set of notes that sounds sad or serious

2 2.3

A metal key used to start a car engine

1 2.7

A key on a keyboard that makes letters capital and types other characters

1 3.8

A small electronic device on a key ring that opens doors or starts a car

key word
  • Specialized
1 6.2

A word that unlocks a secret message

church key
  • Archaic
1 8.7

A small metal tool for making holes to open cans

command key
  • Specialized
1 3.6

A key on Apple keyboards that you press with other keys to use shortcuts

A key on a keyboard that deletes the letter or number before the cursor

1 4.7

A small low island of coral or limestone off the southern coast of Florida

key ring
  • Specialized
1 4.1

A secure place on a computer that stores passwords and secret codes for apps and the system

major key
  • Specialized
1 4.9

A set of musical notes that sounds bright and happy

hex key
  • Specialized
1 4.2

A small L-shaped tool used to turn screws with a six-sided hole

1 2.1

A key on a keyboard that moves the cursor to a new line or starts a new command

tab key
  • Specialized
1 2.3

A key on a keyboard that moves the cursor to the right to indent or align text

telegraph key
  • Archaic
1 7.7

A small lever device used to send messages as dots and dashes by making and breaking an electric circuit

1 6.7

A metal tool that opens many similar locks by having most teeth cut away

control key
  • Specialized
2.8

A key on a computer keyboard that you press with other keys to do special actions

4.7

A small L-shaped metal tool used to turn bolts and screws with six-sided holes

ash-key
  • Specialized
9.9

A seed with a thin wing from an ash tree that the wind carries

3.6

A small thing on a key ring that makes keys easier to find

key fruit
  • Specialized
9.3

A winged fruit from maple or ash trees with one seed that spins as it falls

key signature
  • Specialized
5.5

A set of sharps or flats at the start of written music showing its key

key signature
  • Specialized
8.1

A digital mark added to a public key to show who owns it

An important stop that helps people or goods move forward

3.2

An act of typing information into a computer or device

9.9

Useful knowledge needed to survive and fit into street life

7.2

A small fan-shaped tree that grows in southern Florida and Cuba

A repeated decorative border of straight lines that turn in square corners, often on vases and buildings

master key
  • Specialized
4.2

A secret code that lets you open many protected files or services

7.1

A repeating decorative border made from one continuous line that forms square corners

home key
  • Specialized
6.8

The main set of notes a piece of music returns to

Inbus key
  • Specialized
9.0

A small metal tool with a six-sided end for turning screws with a matching hole

nut key
  • Jargon
8.9

A small tool climbers use to pull metal pieces from cracks in rock

screw key
  • Specialized
5.5

A small tool that fits into a screw head to turn it

tonic key
  • Specialized
8.1

The main note and scale that a piece of music returns to

skeleton key
  • Specialized
7.5

A secret password that lets someone get into many accounts or systems

Unbrako key
  • Specialized
7.4

A small metal tool with a six-sided tip that turns screws with a six-sided hole in the head

watch key
  • Archaic
9.0

A small metal key with a square hole used to wind old pocket devices that tell time

Surface Forms

key infinitive
keyed past
keyed past participle
keying present participle
keys third person singular

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.