keyword

American  

[kee-wurd] / ˈkiˌwɜrd /

Or key word

noun

1. a word that serves as a key, as to the meaning of another word, a sentence, passage, or the like.

2. a word used to encipher or decipher a cryptogram, as a pattern for a transposition procedure or the basis for a complex substitution.

3. Also called catchword.  Library Science. a significant or memorable word or term in the title, abstract, or text of a document or other item being indexed, used as the index entry.

4. Digital Technology. a word used to classify or organize digital content, or to facilitate an online search for information.

   Search the database for the keyword “Ireland.”

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keyword British  

/ ˈkiːˌwɜːd /

noun

1. a word used as a key to a code

2. any significant word or phrase, esp a word used to describe the contents of a document

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Etymology

Origin of keyword

First recorded in 1855–60; key ¹ + word

Example Sentences

Keyword warrants are much newer and comparatively rare, so we don’t have good data on how often they’re used.

From Slate • Jun. 5, 2023

Keyword searches for the Allen, Texas, shooting on Instagram, Facebook and YouTube yielded mostly news reports and less explicit eyewitness videos.

From New York Times • May 7, 2023

Keyword curation works by relying on what scholars refer to as a data void: When little to nothing currently exists online, that hole or that gap can be easily filled with other content.

From Salon • Aug. 21, 2022

Keyword searches can become frustrating, either yielding so much information that it seems impossible to sort through or narrowing the search so much that you miss important potential sources.

From Textbooks • Dec. 21, 2021

Keyword recognition signals the reader to pay closer attention for critical definitions and ideas that follow.

From Sequential Problem Solving A Student Handbook with Checklists for Successful Critical Thinking by Lozo, Fredric