key card
noun
plural key cards
: a small usually plastic card that contains encoded data to electronically open or access something (such as a door or a system)
Hotel room doors are often accessed by a key card programmed by the front desk.—
Kara Godfrey
Kara GodfreyMorrill Hall has an open lobby but requires key cards to enter elevators to get to dorm rooms.—The Associated Press State & Local Wire
The Associated Press State & Local Wire… a plan to buy a $1 million key card voting system …—Hillary Chabot
Hillary ChabotExamples of key card in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Residents will activate them with key cards that give access only to their own floor and common areas.
—Doug Smith, Los Angeles Times, 5 June 2024
Teddy’s key card doesn’t work, thanks to her recent firing, but that doesn’t stop her from jumping into a gown to help Theo Ruiz.
—Lincee Ray, EW.com, 31 May 2024
Treat yourself to this throwback keychain that takes its inspiration from pre-1970s (when key cards were invented) hotel keys.
—Katie Jackson, Travel + Leisure, 26 May 2024
In the middle of the touch screen is a card icon that indicates where to place the NFC key card.
—PCMAG, 10 May 2024
The touch-screen number pad was well-illuminated and very responsive, and the fingerprint scanner and NFC key cards worked correctly.
—PCMAG, 10 May 2024
The company later worked with Boeing to create a tool to replace hotel key cards.
—Diane Brady, Fortune, 12 Apr. 2024
The hotel worker was discovered due to using a traceable key card to enter her room, and was arrested, pleaded guilty, and was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
—Sydney Bucksbaum, EW.com, 1 Apr. 2024
Accessing the vault requires both entering a code and producing a key card.
—Julia Binswanger, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024
Doug Smith, Los Angeles Times, 5 June 2024
Teddy’s key card doesn’t work, thanks to her recent firing, but that doesn’t stop her from jumping into a gown to help Theo Ruiz.
—Lincee Ray, EW.com, 31 May 2024
Treat yourself to this throwback keychain that takes its inspiration from pre-1970s (when key cards were invented) hotel keys.
—Katie Jackson, Travel + Leisure, 26 May 2024
In the middle of the touch screen is a card icon that indicates where to place the NFC key card.
—PCMAG, 10 May 2024
The touch-screen number pad was well-illuminated and very responsive, and the fingerprint scanner and NFC key cards worked correctly.
—PCMAG, 10 May 2024
The company later worked with Boeing to create a tool to replace hotel key cards.
—Diane Brady, Fortune, 12 Apr. 2024
The hotel worker was discovered due to using a traceable key card to enter her room, and was arrested, pleaded guilty, and was sentenced to 10 years in prison.
—Sydney Bucksbaum, EW.com, 1 Apr. 2024
Accessing the vault requires both entering a code and producing a key card.
—Julia Binswanger, Smithsonian Magazine, 3 Apr. 2024
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'key card.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
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Cite this Entry
“Key card.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/key%20card. Accessed 10 Jun. 2024.
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