keynote

[ kee-noht ]

/ ˈkiˌnoʊt /

SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR keynote ON THESAURUS.COM

noun

Music. the note or tone on which a key or system of tones is founded; the tonic.

the main idea or central principle of a speech, program, thought, action, etc.

the policy line to be followed, as by a party in a political campaign, that is set forth authoritatively in advance by an address or other formal announcement.

keynote address.

verb (used with object), key·not·ed, key·not·ing.

to announce the policy of (a political party, campaign, assembly, etc.); deliver a keynote address at: The governor will keynote the convention.

to serve as the keynote for.

Music. to give the keynote of.

verb (used without object), key·not·ed, key·not·ing.

to provide a keynote, especially a keynote address: He refused an invitation to keynote.

Nearby words

keyman insurance, keynes, keynes, john maynard, keynesian, keynesian economics, keynote, keynote address, keynoter, keypad, keypal, keypunch

Origin of keynote

First recorded in 1755–65; key¹ + note

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2019

Examples from the Web for keynote

I flew to Peru to hear her give a keynote speech at an international conference.
The Real-Life Raiders of the Lost Ark|Alex Belth|November 14, 2014|DAILY BEAST
To this end, CAIR has invited Rev. Al Sharpton to be the keynote speaker at its 20th anniversary dinner to be held next month.
Michael Brown, Gaza, and Muslim Americans|Dean Obeidallah|August 20, 2014|DAILY BEAST
But Pence, who was slated to keynote this conference in just a few minutes?
Mike Pence, Dark Horse in Training for 2016|David Freedlander|June 27, 2014|DAILY BEAST
He was a soaring star from the moment he finished his keynote speech at the 2004 Democratic National Convention.
No One’s Going to Challenge Hillary Clinton|Robert Shrum|May 10, 2014|DAILY BEAST

One of the keynote speakers at the CCCU conference is David Kinnaman, the president of the Barna Group.
How Creationism Hurts Christian Colleges—And Their Students|Karl W. Giberson|February 13, 2014|DAILY BEAST
With the sweet potato, as with other crops, rotation is the keynote of success.
The Vegetable Garden|Anonymous
The few sporadic attempts, thus he told himself, had only touched the keynote.
The Octopus|Frank Norris
The Greeks had their keynote in the middle of the scale, and used chiefly the minor scale of our music.
The Chautauquan, Vol. III, December 1882|The Chautauquan Literary and Scientific Circle
The ray, the blasting ray that whiffed into non-existence all that it touched, was the keynote.
Astounding Stories, May, 1931|Various
The keynote of reformative harmony is struck in a prison rgime that ministers meticulously to marketable knowledge and skill.
Criminal Types|V. M. Masten

British Dictionary definitions for keynote

keynote

/ (ˈkiːˌnəʊt) /

noun

a central or determining principle in a speech, literary work, etc
(as modifier)a keynote speech

the note upon which a scale or key is based; tonic

verb (tr)

to deliver a keynote address to (a political convention, etc)

to outline (political issues, policy, etc) in or as in a keynote address

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

Word Origin and History for keynote

keynote

also key-note, "lowest note of a musical scale, basis of a scale," 1776, from key (n.1) in sense of "musical scale" + note (n.). Figurative sense of "leading idea" is from 1783; keynote address is 1905, American English.

keynote

noun

verb (used with object), key·not·ed, key·not·ing.

verb (used without object), key·not·ed, key·not·ing.

RELATED WORDS

Nearby words

Origin of keynote

Examples from the Web for keynote

British Dictionary definitions for keynote

keynote

noun

verb (tr)

Word Origin and History for keynote

keynote