keyword

American  

[kee-wurd] / ˈkiˌwɜrd /

Or key word

noun

• keywords
  plural

1. a word that serves as a key, as to the meaning of another word, a sentence, passage, or the like.

2. a word used to encipher or decipher a cryptogram, as a pattern for a transposition procedure or the basis for a complex substitution.

3. Also called catchword.  Library Science. a significant or memorable word or term in the title, abstract, or text of a document or other item being indexed, used as the index entry.

4. Digital Technology. a word used to classify or organize digital content, or to facilitate an online search for information.

   Search the database for the keyword “Ireland.”

---

keyword British  

/ ˈkiːˌwɜːd /

noun

1. a word used as a key to a code

2. any significant word or phrase, esp a word used to describe the contents of a document

---

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• keywords
  plural

Etymology

Origin of keyword

First recorded in 1855–60; key ¹ + word

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

keyword keywords

The company’s lighter flash models power AI Overviews and AI Mode, which allow search-engine users to perform complex queries in natural language — far surpassing the keyword matching and ranking techniques of previous generations.

From MarketWatch ● Aug. 15, 2026

In one test, participants listened to lists of related words that were connected by a theme, but the central keyword tying them together was never spoken.

From Science Daily ● Mar. 11, 2026

Their full names were available Sunday afternoon in the Justice Department’s keyword search, along with personally identifying details that make them readily traceable, including home addresses.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Feb. 1, 2026

"The company has also strengthened its keyword blacklist to further prevent attempted circumvention of product listing restrictions by sellers," said Shein.

From BBC ● Nov. 3, 2025

Many turned on funny tricks—a silly keyword, perhaps, or a pun.

From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield

The experience showed her “there is demand for presenting yourself virtually and there’s a way to convey your cover-letter materials” that can get past new filters for job applications, which are fixated on certain keywords.

From MarketWatch ● Jul. 15, 2026

Searching popular keywords like "citywalk" on the app brought up itineraries for the day, including where to eat and convenient routes from one attraction to another.

From Barron's ● Jul. 13, 2026

Some downloads, it says, were coordinated among several Meta IP addresses, all based on the same algorithmic keywords and occurring simultaneously, suggesting that the infringements “took place within Meta’s walls.”

From Los Angeles Times ● Jun. 18, 2026

She said despite removing certain keywords in settings on her Facebook and Instagram accounts, the bombardment of content continued for months after her miscarriages.

From BBC ● Jun. 3, 2026

She was about to search with different keywords when she saw a link to a map of sites referenced in The Maltese Falcon as well as places Dashiell Hammett had lived.

From "Book Scavenger" by Jennifer Chambliss Bertman