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Synonyms

keys

British  
/ kiːz /

interjection

  1. dialect a children's cry for truce or respite from the rules of a game

"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

Etymology

Origin of keys

origin uncertain

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 took a month for Morrow to get her phone back from federal custody, while her other confiscated possessions, including her keys, have been lost, Morrow’s attorney said.

From Salon • Apr. 15, 2026

Goodwin and Tiffin get the keys to a number of private gardens, including Chilcombe, which unfolds as a series of jewel-box “rooms” planted by the late American painter, John Hubbard.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 11, 2026

The game, designed by Japanese artist Kotake Create, drops you into a white-tiled subway corridor that you’ll encounter again and again until the keys to unlock the title escape are deduced.

From Los Angeles Times • Apr. 10, 2026

You should never be required to hand over the keys to the car.

From MarketWatch • Mar. 30, 2026

The keys had to be used together to unlock the firing mechanism for the special weapon.

From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin

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.