key fob
Americannoun
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a programmed, battery-powered device enabling keyless access or entry, especially to a vehicle, usually carried on a key ring or keychain.
The windows and sunroof of your car can also be opened and closed using the key fob.
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an ornament or other object attached to a key ring or keychain.
This key fob of tooled leather can hold a small photo.
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a key ring or keychain with such an ornament on it.
Has anyone turned in a key fob with a little foam golf ball and three keys on it?
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Etymology
Origin of key fob
First recorded in 1910–15
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.
It pops out when it needs to be used, either automatically through the user’s key fob or phone, or manually by pressing the handle.
From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 3, 2026
The shock came days later when he took the car to a local Kia dealership to ask about a faulty button on the key fob designed to access the boot.
From BBC • Dec. 7, 2025
You can also weaken the signal by purchasing a signal blocking bag or box to leave the key fob in.
From Los Angeles Times • Nov. 26, 2025
Right now, she just hopes to get a key fob to the team’s new $64 million practice facility/headquarters.
From Seattle Times • Apr. 29, 2024
The woman pulled a key fob from her pocket, and the red lights of a minivan flashed.
From "Bone Gap" by Laura Ruby
Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023
Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.
