latchkey

[lach-kee]

noun

plural

latchkeys 

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

latchkey

/ ˈlætʃˌkiː /

noun

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

2. 1. a supposed freedom from restrictions

   2. ( as modifier )

      a latchkey existence

Word History and Origins

Origin of latchkey¹

First recorded in 1815–25; latch + key ¹

Example Sentences

It’s a lovely landing for a latchkey kid who grew up eating Jack in the Box, and we’re not mad at it.

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She mentions: "I was a latchkey kid, so I grew up with a lot of fast food and TV tray meals."

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Don’t tell helicopter parents, but the gleefully transgressive flicks that entertained a generation of latchkey wildlings are coming back in style.

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She says growing numbers of one-parent households, unmarried parents and “latchkey kids” who walk into empty homes after school each day have eroded the foundations that taught past generations to endure routine stress.

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“I think for latchkey kids of the ‘80s and ‘90s, celebrities filled in for the family members we wish we had,” she said.

Read more on Salon