keychain
Americannoun
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keychains
plural
-
a key ring with an attached ornament or other object, a short chain, or a leather or plastic loop, etc..
This great little light fits on my keychain and runs 150 hours on an ordinary watch battery.
-
a chain for carrying keys, often worn hanging from a belt.
We always knew when the school janitor was near, because he carried this massive keychain on his belt that jangled with every step.
Other Word Forms
Noun Inflected Forms
Etymology
Origin of keychain
First recorded in 1650–60
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.
See Examples For:
Meanwhile, the little girl next to me picked up a plush pigeon keychain with ease.
From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 20, 2026
“Base game $80, expansion $100, but I’m sure they’ll launch something that’s 2x or 3x more expensive that will include a foldable poster of the map, keychain, etc.”
From MarketWatch ● Jun. 25, 2026
And I couldn’t resist buying a KPop Demon Hunters keychain for a friend’s daughter.
From Barron's ● Dec. 20, 2025
The tool is independent of the protections for blue messages sent with iMessage, passwords stored in iCloud keychain, Health app data and Facetime, which are end to end encrypted by default.
From BBC ● Feb. 26, 2025
The coin had a tiny metal loop attached to the top, like some sort of good-luck charm you’d hang on a keychain.
From "Fallout: Spies, Superbombs, and the Ultimate Cold War Showdown" by Steve Sheinkin
Capybara merch is wildly popular in the zoo’s gift shops, which sell 25,000 capybara-themed items a year: almost 7,000 plush toys, plus keychains, backpacks, cups, caps, bottles, slippers, and lamps.
From Slate ● May 27, 2026
Lululemon Athletica Inc. is now selling heart-shaped charms, alligator clips, keychains and other accessories to complement its lines of yogawear and athleisure apparel.
From MarketWatch ● Jan. 29, 2026
Swinging from keychains, the Tamagotchi -- whose name is a portmanteau of the Japanese words for "egg" and "watch" -- has become a popular fashion accessory among young people in recent years, according to Bandai.
From Barron's ● Jan. 7, 2026
The extensive merch collection also includes tote bags, coffee mugs, keychains and jigsaw puzzles.
From Los Angeles Times ● Aug. 21, 2025
They passed out flyers, pamphlets—A Message from City Councilman John Kwang—buttons, ballpoint pens, keychains, lapel pins, every last piece of it stamped with his perfectly angled script, simply signed, John.
From "Native Speaker" by Chang-rae Lee
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.
