Standard Lemma guide

keystroke

noun · verb · 4 senses · updated from the 2026-07-25 local source snapshot

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.

  • US: Recorded audio is listed in the source snapshot.
  • CMU ARPABET: K IY1 S T R OW2 K Digits mark lexical stress: 1 primary, 2 secondary, 0 unstressed.

1

noun

Meaning 1

The act of pressing an input key on a computer keyboard, typewriter, or similar input device.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: keypress

Antonyms: none provided

2

noun

Meaning 2

A keyboard shortcut.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

Usage: broadly, informal

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: none provided

Antonyms: none provided

3

verb

Meaning 3

To enter (data etc.) by pressing keys on a keyboard.

Definition source: English Wiktionary via Wiktextract

No example sentence was provided for this meaning.

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: key, key in

Antonyms: none provided

4

noun

Meaning 4

the stroke of a key; one depression of a key on a keyboard

Definition source: Princeton WordNet 3.0

Examples

  • the number of keystrokes was used as a measure of work

Meaning relationships

Synonyms: key stroke

Antonyms: none provided

Broader terms: stroke

History

Etymology

From key + stroke.

Across languages

Translations

13 source translations are retained for this English entry.

  • Bulgarian: натискане на клавиш (natiskane na klaviš) — act of pressing a key
  • Chinese Mandarin: 按鍵 /按键 (ànjiàn) — act of pressing a key
  • Chinese Mandarin: 擊鍵 /击键 (jījiàn) — act of pressing a key
  • Finnish: painallus — act of pressing a key
  • French: frappe d'une touche — act of pressing a key
  • German: Tastendruck — act of pressing a key
  • German: Tastenanschlag — act of pressing a key
  • Italian: battuta — act of pressing a key
  • Japanese: 打鍵 (daken) — act of pressing a key
  • Japanese: キーストローク (kīsutorōku) — act of pressing a key
  • Norwegian Bokmål: tastetrykk — act of pressing a key
  • Russian: нажа́тие кла́виш(и) — act of pressing a key
  • Swedish: tangenttryckning — act of pressing a key