key player
40
3.2
- noun
:
figura clave
- Her ability to connect with key players in the organization made her an invaluable asset to the team.
- identify key players
- other key players
- relationships with key players
There are few key players that we respect in the industry.
- There are few key players that we respect in the industry.
- Laminia Mal has won the EUR with Spain and was a key player for them.
- There's several key players, NATO, Russia, Ukraine, China, India.
- And, and The thing is, here's where I think owners make mistakes at, they mess with the chemistry of football teams by messing with some of the key players.
- Sanchez cooperated and he was a key player for this thing.
- It's telling you about kind of what went on and how it affected real people, how it works, who the key players are and so on.
- And it turns out that the key player in that shooting is a black character.
- I mean, do you, do you even fucking care anymore that, I mean, these are all key players or does it just, is it just going to work?
Examples
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Perhaps more surprising, a growing number of developing countries are key players as well.
Academic text (1997) -
By the middle of 2007, the key players saw their interests as best served by peace.
Academic text (2008) -
As such, he will be a key player in the weeks ahead.
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There are few key players that we respect in the industry.
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And as I have mentioned, the United States is a key player in Europe.
Academic text (1994) -
Finally, leaders must invest the time and energy in the key players that encourage change toward a new process or method.
Academic text (2015) -
The building principal is viewed as a key player who can make or break a program.
Academic text (1993) -
Meanwhile, India could become a key player in the effort to modernize the politics of the Middle East.
Academic text (2006) -
In 1996, Beckham began to break into the first team, as many key players came to the end of their careers.
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Value is becoming a topic of interest to three key players in the healthcare field: patients, payers, and providers.
Academic text (2003)
Synonyms
50
1.8
A person whose actions or words change what happens for many people
33
7.0
The most important person who controls a group or activity
29
3.8
A person or company that has a lot of power in a field
13
2.0
A team member who is the best and most important
12
3.8
An important person who plays the main role in a group or event
1
6.0
A person who plays a very important role in a team or project
How Important
Surface Forms
Morphology
The meaning 'an important or influential person' is directly and transparently derived from combining 'key' (important) with 'player' (participant). This adjective + noun composition is a common, productive pattern in English and has clear equivalents in many languages, so a B1 learner who knows both constituents will readily infer the MWE's meaning.
Etymology
The phrase key player comes from the simple image of a key that opens a door and a player in a team. Someone who holds the 'key' lets things happen, so a key player is a person who is important to a group or a situation.