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latchkey

American  
[lach-kee] / ˈlætʃˌki /

noun

plural

latchkeys

  1. a key for releasing a latch or springlock, especially on an outer door.

latchkey British  
/ ˈlætʃˌkiː /

noun

  1. a key for an outside door or gate, esp one that lifts a latch

    1. a supposed freedom from restrictions

    2. ( as modifier )

      a latchkey existence
"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

Etymology

Origin of latchkey

First recorded in 1815–25; latch + key 1

Example Sentences

Examples are provided to illustrate real-world usage of words in context. Any opinions expressed do not reflect the views of Dictionary.com.

Since I was a latchkey kid, I needed to find something else to do after school.

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 14, 2026

"Dinosaurs were more like latchkey kids," Holtz said.

From Science Daily • Feb. 27, 2026

The exchange arrived in Season1, Episode 2, as Meghan detailed how she grew up as an average American latchkey kid who ate a lot of fast food.

From Los Angeles Times • Dec. 23, 2025

Most of Perry's upbringing was in Ottawa, Canada, but he said he was a "latchkey kid" because his mother's job "just meant I spent a great deal of time alone".

From BBC • Oct. 29, 2023

Just normal instructions for latchkey kids in Garden Heights.

From "The Hate U Give" by Angie Thomas

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.