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Glite Dictionary
📳 A remote opener 🔑 A key ornament
key fob

key fob

1 3.8
A small electronic device on a key ring that opens doors or starts a car
  • noun
  • /ki fɑb/
translation icon : llave electrónica
  • And then you'd pull out your antenna, your key fob, you'd press the button and the car would start right up.
  • the button on the key fob

So why does the convertible top panel open from the key fob?

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Examples

  • It looks like a key fob to unlock your BMW Jack.

  • Yeah, leave their key fobs in their unlocked cars so that like literally anyone could jump in to the driveway and take that car.

  • I also have the normal key fob, which is really cool.

    Ryan Pineda

  • Just throw them the key fob.

    Blog text (31)

  • So this car has a key fob just like a normal car, but the functions of the key fob are anything but normal.

  • But since we have the key fob, let's unlock and chat about this incredible SUV.

  • While it is nifty to unlock my car from my phone, it is not a necessity to me, as my key fob does the trick quite well.

    Blog text (19)

  • Past episodes have tested webcams, smart speakers, car key fobs, pet Cam, smart doorbells, and more.

  • Orwell comes with two special key fobs that must be scanned on the machine before you'll even be prompted to enter your numeric password using Orwell's OLED display.

  • After pressing the button on his key fob, the car's doors unlocked with a beep.

Synonyms

fob
vskey fob
  • Specialized
4 6.8

A small electronic device on a keyring that opens doors or starts cars

is focused on unlocking or starting vehicles and granting building access
keyfob
vskey fob
4.6

A small object on a key ring used to identify keys or unlock a car from a distance

is an electronic device using wireless signals to unlock vehicles or grant building access

How Advanced

key fob
1 3.8
remote
54 2.7

Surface Forms

key fob singular
key fobs plural

Morphology

key + fob

The meaning is directly inferable from combining 'key' (an object for opening locks) with 'fob' (a small electronic access device): together they denote a small device associated with keys that grants access or unlocks systems. This noun-noun compositional pattern is straightforward and cross-linguistically common, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents would understand the MWE.

Etymology

Key fob now often means a small electronic tag you keep on a key; imagine waving that little tag near a car or door and it opens — the picture is the same as the old tag, but with a small electronic part inside. So, the term means 'a small wireless device on a key ring that unlocks or starts things'.