public key

American  

[puhb-lik kee] / ˈpʌb lɪk ˈki /

noun

public keys plural

1. Computers. a message encryption key available to anyone, allowing the resulting encrypted messages to be decrypted only when paired with a private key known only to the message recipient.

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Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

• public keys
  plural

Example Sentences

See Examples For:

public key

Passkeys are enabled by something called public key cryptography.

From BBC ● Apr. 24, 2026

Researchers noted that up to 6.9 million Bitcoin are held in addresses where the public key is already exposed.

From Barron's ● Apr. 1, 2026

"This small business loan census will give the public key data on this market to ensure that banks and non-banks are serving small businesses fairly," he said.

From Reuters ● Mar. 30, 2023

But nobody has actually ever seen the public key so we can’t actually be sure how much El Salvador is holding at any given time.

From Slate ● May 31, 2022

Now, the easiest way to fix this is to really widely advertise your public key.

From Little Brother by Doctorow, Cory