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key

key

∞ 1.0
A small metal object used to open or close a lock
  • noun
  • /ki/
: llave
  • She forgot her key and couldn't get into the house.
  • turn the key
  • open with a key
  • lock and key

So I had the keys to the pool.

Autoplay Next

Examples

  • Books were kept under lock and key, sometimes chained to shelves.

    Academic text (2015)
  • So I just walked out without my keys and I'm now locked out.

  • I just need to find the key to the lock.

  • Give me my key, please.

  • The door of the room was locked, and he took his key out and opened it.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • Sidney, do you still keep your key under the mat?

  • And then I have my little key for my PO Box.

  • Her father had another key made to the archive room and gave it to her solemnly.

    Fiction book (1990)
  • Here are your keys.

  • "Nope," Richard says and displays the car keys he lifted from Jeff's pocket.

    Fiction book (1990)

Idioms

351 2.8

The main thing that makes something succeed or work

18 8.8

Put someone in prison for life with no hope of release

Kept in a locked place so people cannot take it

1 5.8

Not singing or playing the right musical notes

Avoid extremes and do things in a balanced way

Doing something at the right moment is important for success

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 out

Put someone in prison and never let them leave

Compounds

51 2.3

The main problems in a discussion or situation

47 3.1

A main idea in a talk or report

46 3.5

An important word used to find a text in a search

42 3.2

An important person who helps decide what happens in a group

35 3.6

An important part of a process, event, or group

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

14 3.8

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

14 3.0

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

13 4.5

A voice or instrument that sounds in the wrong pitch

12 3.7

Important proof that helps decide a legal case or argument

11 3.4

A key that opens many different locks in a building

10 1.0

A small metal ring that holds keys together

3 6.7

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

3 3.8

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

2 2.3

A metal key used to start a car engine

2 5.9

A set of notes that sounds sad or serious

key word
  • Specialized
2 6.2

A word that unlocks a secret message

2 2.7

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

major key
  • Specialized
1 4.9

A set of musical notes that sounds bright and happy

1 4.7

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

key signature
  • Specialized
1 8.1

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

command key
  • Specialized
1 3.6

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

master key
  • Specialized
1 4.2

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

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 2.1

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

control key
  • Specialized
1 2.8

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

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

tab key
  • Specialized
1 2.3

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

hex key
  • Specialized
1 4.2

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

watch key
  • Archaic
1 9.0

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

church key
  • Archaic
1 8.7

A small metal tool for making holes to open cans

screw key
  • Specialized
1 5.5

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

skeleton key
  • Specialized
1 7.5

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

1 4.7

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

key signature
  • Specialized
1 5.5

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

1 3.6

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

home key
  • Specialized
1 6.8

The main set of notes a piece of music returns to

1 7.1

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

tonic key
  • Specialized
1 8.1

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

1 7.2

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

key ring
  • Specialized
1 4.1

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

1 9.9

Useful knowledge needed to survive and fit into street life

An important stop that helps people or goods move forward

1 6.7

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

ash-key
  • Specialized
9.9

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

key fruit
  • Specialized
9.3

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

3.2

An act of typing information into a computer or device

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

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

How Universal

skeleton key
  • Specialized
1 7.5
passkey
3 6.0
master key
11 3.4
key
∞ 1.0

Surface Forms

key singular
keys plural

Etymology

Key comes from an old English word cæg for the small metal tool used to open locks, so a key is literally something that 'opens' a lock.