keynote

[ kee-noht ]
See synonyms for: keynotekeynotes on Thesaurus.com

noun
  1. Music. the note or tone on which a key or system of tones is founded; the tonic.

  2. the main idea or central principle of a speech, program, thought, action, etc.

  1. the policy line to be followed, as by a party in a political campaign, that is set forth authoritatively in advance by an address or other formal announcement.

verb (used with object),key·not·ed, key·not·ing.
  1. to announce the policy of (a political party, campaign, assembly, etc.); deliver a keynote address at: The governor will keynote the convention.

  2. to serve as the keynote for.

  1. Music. to give the keynote of.

verb (used without object),key·not·ed, key·not·ing.
  1. to provide a keynote, especially a keynote address: He refused an invitation to keynote.

Origin of keynote

1
First recorded in 1755–65; key1 + note

Words Nearby keynote

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2024

How to use keynote in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for keynote

keynote

/ (ˈkiːˌnəʊt) /


noun
    • a central or determining principle in a speech, literary work, etc

    • (as modifier): a keynote speech

  1. the note upon which a scale or key is based; tonic

verb(tr)
  1. to deliver a keynote address to (a political convention, etc)

  2. to outline (political issues, policy, etc) in or as in a keynote address

Collins English Dictionary - Complete & Unabridged 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012