Definitions of key:

  • noun:   metal device shaped in such a way that when it is inserted into the appropriate lock the lock's mechanism can be rotated
  • noun:   a lever that actuates a mechanism when depressed
  • noun:   pitch of the voice
    Example: "He spoke in a low key"
  • noun:   something crucial for explaining
    Example: "The key to development is economic integration"
  • noun:   a generic term for any device whose possession entitles the holder to a means of access
    Example: "A safe-deposit box usually requires two keys to open it"
  • noun:   a list of words or phrases that explain symbols or abbreviations
  • noun:   a list of answers to a test
    Example: "Some students had stolen the key to the final exam"
  • noun:   any of 24 major or minor diatonic scales that provide the tonal framework for a piece of music
  • noun:   (basketball) a space (including the foul line) in front of the basket at each end of a basketball court; usually painted a different color from the rest of the court
    Example: "He hit a jump shot from the top of the key"
  • noun:   a coral reef off the southern coast of Florida
  • noun:   United States lawyer and poet who wrote a poem after witnessing the British attack on Baltimore during the War of 1812; the poem was later set to music and entitled `The Star-Spangled Banner' (1779-1843)
  • noun:   a kilogram of a narcotic drug
    Example: "They were carrying two keys of heroin"
  • noun:   the central building block at the top of an arch or vault
  • noun:   mechanical device used to wind another device that is driven by a spring (as a clock)
  • noun:   a winged often one-seed indehiscent fruit as of the ash or elm or maple
  • verb:   provide with a key
    Example: "We were keyed after the locks were changed in the building"
  • verb:   harmonize with or adjust to
    Example: "Key one's actions to the voters' prevailing attitude"
  • verb:   regulate the musical pitch of
  • verb:   vandalize a car by scratching the sides with a key
    Example: "His new Mercedes was keyed last night in the parking lot"
  • verb:   identify as in botany or biology, for example
  • adjective:   effective; producing a desired effect
  • adjective:   serving as an essential component
  • name:  A surname (common: 1 in 6666 families; popularity rank in the U.S.: #796)