ignition key

British

noun

the key used in a motor vehicle to turn the switch that connects the battery to the ignition system and other electrical devices

"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

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Not once did I touch an ignition key.

From New York Times • Nov. 25, 2021

The seat belt, ignition key and gear shift are all on the wrong side.

From The Guardian • Oct. 30, 2017

O'Malley, who turned the ignition key on his candidacy Saturday in Baltimore, is No. 4.

From US News • Jun. 1, 2015

He twisted his wrist as if turning the ignition key on a car.

From The New Yorker • Nov. 10, 2014

At last the cold of the car roused him; he switched on the ignition key and a moment later headed in the direction of downtown San Francisco.

From "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023