key evidence
5
3.7
- noun
:
prueba clave
- The prosecution presented key evidence that linked the defendant to the crime scene.
- key evidence in the case
- key evidence for the prosecution
- withheld key evidence
Examples
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Noting that Johnson is well known to police, Fisher said "key evidence" left at the scene gave police an idea of which direction he may have been heading.
Blog text (9) -
Telescopes on the ground and in space, like NASA's Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe (WMAP), launched in 2001, provided key evidence for developing this basic understanding of the universe.
Blog text (27) -
Another man confessed to the crime on that tape, but it was buried along with other key evidence.
-
Along with the verbal report of the dream, this artifact became key evidence in the case.
Academic text (1994) -
The key evidence in the Newsnight report lay in the claims of Steve Messham, who had been a child in Bryn Estyn and had been a victim of sexual abuse.
Blog text (13) -
One, you have a guy working for Israeli intelligence giving the key evidence in a case against someone giving humanitarian aid to Palestinians; secondly, you have his identity kept secret, which means you can't learn anything about him, what his job was, really, what he did or who he is, and how truthful he can be so you can effectively cross-examine him once you know his name.
Blog text (20) -
Initial probes into Gerardi's murder were thwarted by the armed forces: officers gave investigators false leads, misplaced key evidence, and tried to clean up the crime scene.
Academic text (2001) -
The blood quantum of allottees, as listed on Powell's roll, became the critical determiner in most of the allotment land fraud cases, and other key evidence was disregarded.
Academic text (2009) -
- Most of the key evidence that shows the collusion between the Ukrainian government and the DNC, operatives for the DNC, came in an article that was actually published in Politico before the inauguration.
-
The new DNA test results provided key evidence that proved the suspect's innocence.
Synonyms
∞
1.8
Things that show something is true, like documents or photos
∞
2.5
Evidence that shows something is true
150
2.0
Information that shows something is true
39
5.3
Clear proof that someone did something wrong
34
3.9
Extra proof that shows something is correct
25
8.5
Evidence that supports a statement, for example documents or witness testimony
8
6.1
Something that supports and confirms an earlier statement or fact
4
7.9
Evidence that shows a claim or idea is true
Clear and strong information that convinces people it is true
How Strong
Surface Forms
Morphology
The phrase combines 'key' (fundamentally important) with 'evidence' (information that helps prove something), so the meaning 'crucial proof/information' is directly compositionally derivable from its parts. This adjective+noun pattern and logic are common across languages, so a B1 learner who knows both words will readily understand the MWE.
Etymology
The compound noun key evidence comes from the image of a key opening a lock to reveal important evidence. If you have the key, you can 'unlock' the truth, so key evidence means the proof that is 'very important' to a case.