keyboard

1 of 2

noun

key·​board ˈkē-ˌbȯrd 

1

a

: a bank of keys on a musical instrument (such as a piano) that usually consists of seven white and five raised black keys to the octave

b

: a musical instrument that is played by means of a keyboard

2

: a group of systematically arranged keys by which a machine or device is operated

a computer keyboard

3

: a board on which keys for locks are hung

keyboard

2 of 2

verb

keyboarded; keyboarding; keyboards

transitive verb

: to enter (data, text, etc.) by means of a keyboard

keyboard a manuscript

… he would like her to drop her copy off and have it keyboarded into the system by someone else.

—Margaret Atwood

intransitive verb

: to operate a machine (as for typesetting) by means of a keyboard

keyboarder noun

Examples of keyboard in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Noun

Users across social media platforms, mainly X but also on TikTok, have been urged to look between certain letters on their keyboard in an attempt to decipher a punchline. —Amaris Encinas, USA TODAY, 24 Apr. 2024

Instead of using a keyboard or mouse, the bot programmatically executes the reservation app’s underlying code. —Adam Iscoe, The New Yorker, 22 Apr. 2024

Word History

First Known Use

Noun

1776, in the meaning defined at sense 1a

Verb

1906, in the meaning defined at transitive sense

Phrases Containing keyboard

• QWERTY keyboard

Kids Definition

keyboard

noun

key·​board

ˈkē-ˌbō(ə)rd,

-ˌbȯ(ə)rd

1

: a row or set of keys by which a musical instrument (as a piano) is played

2

: the whole arrangement of keys by which a machine (as a typewriter or computer) is operated