ALL meanings of keys
key
K k - idioms keys power of the keys, the authority of a pope in ecclesiastical matters, vested in him as successor of St. Peter. 1
- noun keys Plural form of key. 1
- noun plural keys a small metal instrument specially cut to fit into a lock and move its bolt. 1
- noun plural keys any of various devices resembling or functioning as a key: the key of a clock. 1
- noun plural keys key card. 1
- noun plural keys something that affords a means of access: the key to happiness. 1
- noun plural keys something that secures or controls entrance to a place: Gibraltar is the key to the Mediterranean. 1
- noun plural keys something that affords a means of clarifying a problem. 1
- noun plural keys a book, pamphlet, or other text containing the solutions or translations of material given elsewhere, as testing exercises. 1
- noun plural keys a systematic explanation of abbreviations, symbols, etc., used in a dictionary, map, etc.: pronunciation key. Compare legend (def 4). 1
- noun plural keys the system, method, pattern, etc., used to decode or decipher a cryptogram, as a code book, machine setting, or keyword. 1
- noun plural keys one of a set of marked parts, designated areas, or levers pressed in operating a typewriter, computer terminal, calculator, etc. 1
- noun plural keys a manually operated lever for opening and closing an electric circuit, used to produce signals in telegraphy. 1
- noun plural keys Music. (in a keyboard instrument) one of the levers that when depressed by the performer sets in motion the playing mechanism. (on a woodwind instrument) a metal lever that opens and closes a vent. the relationship perceived between all tones in a given unit of music and a single tone or a keynote; tonality. the principal tonality of a composition: a symphony in the key of C minor. the keynote or tonic of a scale. 1
- noun plural keys tone or pitch, as of voice: to speak in a high key. 1
- noun plural keys mood or characteristic style, as of expression or thought: He writes in a melancholy key. 1
- noun plural keys degree of intensity, as of feeling or action. 1
- noun plural keys a pin, bolt, wedge, or other piece inserted in a hole or space to lock or hold parts of a mechanism or structure together; a cotter. 1
- noun plural keys a small piece of steel fitting into matching slots of a hub of a wheel or the like and the shaft on which the wheel is mounted so that torque is transmitted from one to the other. 1
- noun plural keys a contrivance for grasping and turning a bolt, nut, etc. 1
- noun plural keys Computers. a field or group of characters within a record that identifies the record, establishing its position among sorted records, and/or provides information about its contents. 1
- noun plural keys (in a series of advertisements or announcements soliciting replies) a unique code inserted for each medium used, to determine the relative effectiveness of the media. 1
- noun plural keys Electricity. a device for opening and closing electrical contacts. a hand-operated switching device ordinarily formed of concealed spring contacts with an exposed handle or push button, capable of switching one or more parts of a circuit. 1
- noun plural keys Biology. a systematic tabular classification of the significant characteristics of the members of a group of organisms to facilitate identification and comparison. 1
- noun plural keys Masonry. a keystone. 1
- noun plural keys Architecture. (in a ribbed vault) a stone, as a boss, at the intersection of two or more ribs. 1
- noun plural keys Masonry, Carpentry. a wedge, as for tightening a joint or splitting a stone or timber. 1
- noun plural keys Carpentry. a small piece of wood set into a timber across the grain to prevent warping. 1
- noun plural keys Building Trades. any grooving or roughness applied to a surface to improve its bond with another surface. 1
- noun plural keys Basketball. keyhole (def 2). 1
- noun plural keys Photography. the dominant tonal value of a picture, a high-key picture having light tonal values and minimal contrast and a low-key picture being generally dark with minimal contrast. 1
- noun plural keys Painting. the tonal value and intensity of a color or range of colors: Rembrandt's colors are characterized by their low key. 1
- noun plural keys Botany. a samara. 1
- noun plural keys (initial capital letter) a member of the House of Keys. 1
- noun plural keys keys, spiritual authority. 1
- noun plural keys a reef or low island; cay. 1
- noun plural keys a kilogram of marijuana or a narcotic drug. 1
- adjective keys chief; major; important; essential; fundamental; pivotal: a key person in the company; key industries. 1
- verb with object keys to regulate or adjust (actions, thoughts, speech, etc.) to a particular state or activity; bring into conformity: to key one's speech to the intellectual level of the audience. 1
- verb with object keys Music. to regulate the key or pitch of. 1
- verb with object keys Painting. to paint (a picture) in a given key. to adjust the colors in (a painting) to a particular hue: He keyed the painting to brown. 1
- verb with object keys to fasten, secure, or adjust with a key, wedge, or the like, as parts of a mechanism. 1
- verb with object keys to provide with a key. 1
- verb with object keys (in the layout of newspapers, magazines, etc.) to identify, through signs or symbols, the positions of illustrations or pieces of copy in a dummy. 1
- verb with object keys to lock with or as if with a key. 1
- verb with object keys Masonry. to provide (an arch or vault) with a keystone. 1
- verb with object keys Computers. keyboard (def 4). 1
- verb without object keys to use a key. 1
- verb without object keys Computers. keyboard (def 4). 1
- exclamation keys a children's cry for truce or respite from the rules of a game 0