keysmash

[kee-smash]

noun

1. a random string of letters and symbols typed out on a keyboard or touchscreen, used to signal intense emotion in written communication.

   The photo of the actor was accompanied by a heartfelt keysmash.

2. the action of typing out such a random string of letters or symbols.

   Keysmash was the only appropriate response.

verb (used without object)

1. to use keysmashes to signal intense emotion in written communication.

   I was so excited I couldn’t stop keysmashing.

Word History and Origins

Origin of keysmash¹

First recorded in 1995–2000; key ¹ (on a computer) + smash ( def. )

Example Sentences

The inhabitants of Dat’s new town are gray cartoonish monsters whose language, transliterated onto the page, is a keysmash of Wingdings; Dat and his mother, by contrast, are full-color and human.

Read more on New York Times

And it’s more pronounceable than a traditional keysmash — “as;ldfkjls” — so it can be said out loud.

Read more on Salon

The first, “sksksk,” is a popular keysmash, representing someone furiously hitting the “S” and “K” keys back and forth.

Read more on Salon

McCulloch shows how even the keysmash — pounding the keyboard when you just can’t even — has been regularized.

Read more on New York Times

When To Use

What does keysmash mean?

A keysmash is a random string of characters sent as a message to indicate intense emotion, such as excitement or anger.A keysmash is a collection of random keyboard characters typed by literally smashing a keyboard repeatedly. You might type a keysmash when you’re very excited or upset about something and want to share that in a message. Keysmashes can also be created when a pet walks across a keyboard or when something is dropped onto it. (Pro tip: Putting your computer to sleep before you walk away from it can help prevent unintentional keysmashes.)To keysmash is to randomly type characters on your keyboard with the intention of creating a keysmash.Example: Martina was so frustrated with the situation that she just texted me a long keysmash.