noun
Meaning 1
The hole in a lock where the key is inserted and turns.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Standard Lemma guide
keyhole
Definitions and examples are grouped by meaning. Pronunciation, history, word forms, translations, descendants, synonyms, antonyms, derived terms, and related words appear whenever the source provides them.
Sound
Pronunciation
Each Play button uses your device's default local English voice, or a natural local fallback. The selected voice name appears after playback. This is synthesized speech, not a source recording.
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General-American: /ˈkiˌhoʊ̯l/
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General-American: [ˈkhɪi̯ˌhoʊ̯l]
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US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
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CMU ARPABET: K IY1 HH OW2 L Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.
noun
Meaning 2
Any small opening resembling the hole for a key in shape or function; especially, one that gives a vista of, or access to, a space beyond.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 3
Any small opening resembling the hole for a key in shape or function; especially, one that gives a vista of, or access to, a space beyond.
A small incision through which surgical instruments can reach into an anatomic space beyond.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 4
A circle cut out of a garment as a decorative effect, typically at the front or back neckline of a dress.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 5
A hole or excavation in beams intended to be joined together, to receive the key that fastens them.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: business, carpentry, construction, manufacturing
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 6
A mortise for a key or cotter.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: engineering, natural-sciences, physical-sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 7
A transient column of vapor or plasma formed when using high energy beams, such as lasers, for welding or cutting.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Examples
- laser keyhole welding
- keyhole plasma
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 8
A welding method in which a hole forms in the surface immediately ahead of the puddle in the direction of welding. The hole is filled as the weld progresses.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: engineering, metallurgy, natural-sciences, physical-sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 9
The free-throw lane together with the circle surrounding the free-throw line; key.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: ball-games, basketball, games, hobbies, lifestyle, sports
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 10
A gravitational keyhole.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: astronomy, natural-sciences
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
verb
Meaning 11
To strike a target after wobbling in flight so that the long axis of the bullet does not follow the line of flight, typically due to insufficient spin resulting from the rifling in the barrel.
Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract
Topics: engineering, firearms, government, military, natural-sciences, physical-sciences, politics, tools, war, weaponry
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
noun
Meaning 12
the hole where a key is inserted
Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0
No example sentence was provided for this meaning.
Meaning relationships
Synonyms: none provided
Antonyms: none provided
Broader terms: hole
History
Etymology
From key + hole.
Across languages
Translations
58 source translations are retained for this English entry.
- Armenian: բանալու անցք (banalu ancʻkʻ) — a hole to lock/unlock with a key
- Bulgarian: ключалка (ključalka) — a hole to lock/unlock with a key
- Chinese Cantonese: 鎖匙窿 /锁匙窿 — a hole to lock/unlock with a key
- Chinese Mandarin: 鎖孔 /锁孔 (suǒkǒng) — a hole to lock/unlock with a key
- Chinese Mandarin: 鑰匙孔 /钥匙孔 (yàoshi kǒng) — a hole to lock/unlock with a key
- Czech: klíčová dírka — a hole to lock/unlock with a key
- Danish: nøglehul — a hole to lock/unlock with a key
- Dutch: sleutelgat — a hole to lock/unlock with a key
- Esperanto: ŝlosiltruo — a hole to lock/unlock with a key
- Finnish: avaimenreikä — a hole to lock/unlock with a key
- French: trou de la serrure — a hole to lock/unlock with a key
- Galician: pechadura — a hole to lock/unlock with a key
- Galician: fechadura — a hole to lock/unlock with a key
- Galician: ferrollo — a hole to lock/unlock with a key
- Georgian: კლიტის ჭუჭრუტანა (ḳliṭis č̣uč̣ruṭana) — a hole to lock/unlock with a key
- German: Schlüsselloch — a hole to lock/unlock with a key
- Greek: κλειδαρότρυπα (kleidarótrypa) — a hole to lock/unlock with a key
- Greenlandic: matuersaaserfik — a hole to lock/unlock with a key
- Hebrew: חור המנעול (khor haman'úl) — a hole to lock/unlock with a key
- Hungarian: kulcslyuk — a hole to lock/unlock with a key
- Icelandic: skráargat — a hole to lock/unlock with a key
- Indonesian: lubang kunci — a hole to lock/unlock with a key
- Irish: poll eochrach — a hole to lock/unlock with a key
- Italian: toppa — a hole to lock/unlock with a key
- Italian: buco della serratura — a hole to lock/unlock with a key
- Japanese: 鍵穴 (kagiana) — a hole to lock/unlock with a key
- Korean: 열쇠 구멍 (yeolsoe gumeong) — a hole to lock/unlock with a key
- Latin: claustellum — a hole to lock/unlock with a key
- Luxembourgish: Schlëssellach — a hole to lock/unlock with a key
- Macedonian: клучалка (klučalka) — a hole to lock/unlock with a key
- Malay: lubang kunci — a hole to lock/unlock with a key
- Mongolian: цоожны нүх (coožny nüx) — a hole to lock/unlock with a key
- Norwegian Bokmål: nøkkelhull — a hole to lock/unlock with a key
- Persian: سوراخ کلید (surâx-e kelid) — a hole to lock/unlock with a key
- Plautdietsch: Schlätelloch — a hole to lock/unlock with a key
- Polish: dziurka od klucza — a hole to lock/unlock with a key
- Portuguese: fechadura — a hole to lock/unlock with a key
- Portuguese: tranca — a hole to lock/unlock with a key
- Romanian: gaura cheii — a hole to lock/unlock with a key
- Russian: замо́чная сква́жина (zamóčnaja skvážina) — a hole to lock/unlock with a key
- Serbo-Croatian: кључаоница — a hole to lock/unlock with a key
- Serbo-Croatian: кључница — a hole to lock/unlock with a key
- Serbo-Croatian: ključaonica — a hole to lock/unlock with a key
- Serbo-Croatian: ključnica — a hole to lock/unlock with a key
- Slovak: kľúčová dierka — a hole to lock/unlock with a key
- Slovene: ključanica — a hole to lock/unlock with a key
- Spanish: ojo (de la cerradura) — a hole to lock/unlock with a key
- Spanish: bocallave — a hole to lock/unlock with a key
- Swedish: nyckelhål — a hole to lock/unlock with a key
- Tagalog: susian — a hole to lock/unlock with a key
- Tagalog: butas-susian — a hole to lock/unlock with a key
- Tajik: сӯрохи калид (sürox-i kalid) — a hole to lock/unlock with a key
- Thai: รูกุญแจ — a hole to lock/unlock with a key
- Tibetan: ལྡེ་ཁུང (lde khung) — a hole to lock/unlock with a key
- Turkish: anahtar deliği — a hole to lock/unlock with a key
- Ukrainian: за́мкова щі́ли́на (zámkova ščílýna) — a hole to lock/unlock with a key
- Vietnamese: lỗ khoá — a hole to lock/unlock with a key
- Volapük: kikahog — a hole to lock/unlock with a key
Real reading context