a small piece of shaped metal with incisions cut to fit the wards of a particular lock, which is inserted into a lock and turned to open or close it

there were two keys to the cupboard

a room key

each of several buttons on a panel for operating a computer, typewriter, or telephone

press the ENTER key

a thing that provides a means of achieving or understanding something

discipline seems to be the key to her success

a group of notes based on a particular note and comprising a scale, regarded as forming the tonal basis of a piece of music

the key of E minor

the dry winged fruit of an ash, maple, or sycamore, typically growing in bunches; a samara

the part of a first coat of wall plaster that passes between the laths and so secures the rest

the keyhole-shaped area marked on the court near each basket

he hit another jumper from the top of the key

of crucial importance

she became a key figure in the suffragette movement

enter or operate on (data) by means of a computer keyboard or telephone keypad

not everyone can key data quickly and accurately

she keyed in a series of commands

the information is then keyed into a computer

a hacker caused disruption after keying into a vital database

fasten (something) in position with a pin, wedge, or bolt

the coils may be keyed into the slots by fibre wedges

roughen (a surface) to help the adhesion of plaster or other material

a wooden float with nails driven through it is used to key the wall surface between coats

word (an advertisement in a periodical), typically by varying the form of the address given, so as to identify the publication generating particular responses

one keys advertisements and measures returns

vandalize (a car) by scraping its paint with a key

be the crucial factor in achieving

Ewing keyed a 73–35 advantage on the boards with twenty rebounds

a low-lying island or reef, especially in the Caribbean

this massive lagoon is fringed by more than 670 islands and keys