keynote

American  

[kee-noht] / ˈkiˌnoʊt /

noun

keynotes plural

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

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

3. 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.

4. keynote address.

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verb (used with object)

keynoted, keynoting

1. to announce the policy of (a political party, campaign, assembly, etc.); deliver a keynote address at.

   The governor will keynote the convention.

2. to serve as the keynote for.

3. Music. to give the keynote of.

verb (used without object)

keynoted, keynoting

1. to provide a keynote, especially a keynote address.

   He refused an invitation to keynote.

keynote British  

/ ˈkiːˌnəʊt /

noun

1. 1. a central or determining principle in a speech, literary work, etc

   2. ( as modifier )

      a keynote speech

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

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verb

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

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

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• keynotes
  plural

Etymology

Origin of keynote

First recorded in 1755–65; key ¹ + note

Explanation

A keynote is "the leading note in a musical key," and that meaning has spread to include the leading theme or idea in almost anything. For example, a keynote speaker at a conference includes this central subject in her speech. You're most likely to find the word keynote followed by "speech," "address," or "speaker." The central keynote theme is often presented right at the beginning of a conference or seminar. Another meaning of keynote is "the leading note in a musical key." When you play a scale on the piano, the first, lowest, note is the keynote. This musical meaning dates from the mid-1700s, and the phrase "keynote address" was first used in 1905.

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

keynote keynotes keynoted keynoting

"The skills I learned in that government job helped me as a writer, which then led to me writing a book, which led to my current career as a professional keynote speaker."

From BBC ● Jul. 14, 2026

He was due to make a keynote address at the World Economic Forum in Davos—one day before Trump’s own speech there—and wanted to frame it as a wake-up call.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 8, 2026

Cait Donovan, a keynote speaker on the topics of burnout and leadership, loves the idea of a “soft” off day — and takes them herself.

From MarketWatch ● Jun. 30, 2026

“You can build the whole thing into an outline. You still need a screenwriter. I always believe you need a screenwriter,” Grazer said during a keynote at UCLA’s Entertainment Symposium on Thursday.

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 19, 2026

Schafer coined the terms keynote, soundmark, and sound signal to distinguish between different types of sounds, their connections to the environment, and our perception of them.

From "Music and the Child" by Natalie Sarrazin

The festival features independent debate within the television industry, with more than 60 keynotes, debates, and masterclasses.

From BBC ● Jun. 24, 2026

"We design the keynotes so that the big reveal of the product happens around 40 minutes into the presentation," Forstall said.

From Barron's ● Mar. 29, 2026

They attend keynotes and panels, cocktail parties and receptions.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jan. 23, 2026

The adjacent Content Summit takes a diverse approach to the current state of the industry with workshops, keynotes, and networking events.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 22, 2023

From campus visits to conference keynotes, I was getting invitations from all across the United States.

From "Proud" by Ibtihaj Muhammad

Earlier this month, Zhora keynoted the Cyberwarcon cybersecurity conference outside Washington.

From Seattle Times ● Nov. 20, 2023

Booker’s two-day swing – where he keynoted a state Democratic Party 2018 midterm election victory celebration and headlined three jam-packed house parties – appeared to be a tune-up for things to come.

From Fox News ● Dec. 28, 2018

He has keynoted more than a dozen of its events this year, traveling under its banner to states including Iowa and New Hampshire.

From New York Times ● May 14, 2018

A little bit later, at a luncheon keynoted by Gov.

From Slate ● Dec. 8, 2011

The organization decided to launch partnerships with groups like the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities; Kopp keynoted the council's 2010 conference.

From Time ● Jun. 1, 2010

Biden also spent the 1970s and 1980s traveling the country and keynoting Democratic functions.

From Washington Post ● Oct. 19, 2022

Senator Kamala Harris of California is in Ohio this weekend, where she is keynoting the Ohio Democratic Party’s state dinner.

From New York Times ● Oct. 7, 2018

And on a rainy Monday morning, a crowd gathered outside the Westin Hotel where Republican Congressman Dave Reichert was keynoting the Washington Council on International Trade’s annual conference.

From Seattle Times ● Mar. 14, 2017

Fittingly, Trump seems to have developed his fixation on ratings while working on The Apprentice, a connection he acknowledged while keynoting a 2014 National Press Club luncheon.

From Slate ● Aug. 4, 2016

In the last 18 months alone, the elder Cruz has spoken at more than 60 pastors’ conferences, not including keynoting dozens of local Republican chapter dinners, home-school events and official campaign stops.

From Washington Times ● Apr. 27, 2015