public key

American

[puhb-lik kee] / ˈpʌb lɪk ˈki /

noun

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.

Other Word Forms

Noun Inflected Forms

public keys

plural

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.

See Examples For:

public key

One common security method involves encrypting data with a massive number known as a public key.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Aug. 25, 2026

But there is no standardized public key for deciphering them; codes vary among plants and products, and the absence of an obvious “TF” is no guarantee Taylor Farms wasn’t involved.

From Salon ● Aug. 14, 2026

Drake anticipates at least a 10% chance that a quantum system recovers a private key from an exposed public key by that year.

From Barron's ● Apr. 1, 2026

"The theory of how to break current forms of public key encryption await a truly operational quantum computer," he adds.

From BBC ● Nov. 5, 2025

I signed it and encrypted it with my private key and the public key Masha had provided.

From Little Brother by Cory Doctorow

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