keyword

or key word

[ kee-wurd ]

/ ˈkiˌwɜrd /

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See synonyms for keyword on Thesaurus.com

noun

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

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

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.

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.”

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CAN YOU ANSWER THESE COMMON GRAMMAR DEBATES?

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Question 1 of 7

Which sentence is correct?

His boss, whom he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

His boss, who he admires, is waiting to meet with him about the big project.

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Origin of keyword

First recorded in 1855–60; key¹ + word

Dictionary.com Unabridged Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

How to use keyword in a sentence

Almost every episode of the recurring site feature “Strong Bad Emails” offered users clickable keywords that unlocked something.
Homestar Runner, Trogdor the Burninator, and the Birth of the Internet|Rich Goldstein|April 22, 2014|DAILY BEAST
For that matter, even if they also targeted liberal keywords, it would still be just as big a problem.
Why Did the IRS Target Conservative Groups?|Megan McArdle|May 13, 2013|DAILY BEAST
The government has banned has 138 keywords words from use on the Internet.
What Scares Turkey’s Women?|Margaret Spiegelman|March 21, 2012|DAILY BEAST
But no great storyteller has ever been someone who started out by thinking about traffic numbers and search engine keywords.
AOL's Tricky HuffPo Marriage|Dan Lyons|February 7, 2011|DAILY BEAST

Small reproductions of the charts, with a table of keywords: 30 copies for 1s.
The Sounds of Spoken English|Walter Rippmann
Certain keywords can be often be used to differentiate facts from opinions.
Sequential Problem Solving|Fredric Lozo

British Dictionary definitions for keyword

keyword

/ (ˈkiːˌwɜːd) /

noun

a word used as a key to a code

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

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

keyword

or key word

Origin of keyword

Words related to keyword

How to use keyword in a sentence

British Dictionary definitions for keyword