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

Morrill Hall has an open lobby but requires key cards to enter elevators to get to dorm rooms.

—The Associated Press State & Local Wire

… a plan to buy a $1 million key card voting system …

—Hillary Chabot

Examples of key card in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Compared to traditional key cards, smart cards provide secure and auditable security and can help leaders better understand the daily running of the business. —Rob Lydic, Forbes.com, 17 June 2025

There’s no bouncer who will listen to you whisper a secret word, but rather, a key card that scans you in. —Ella Gonzales, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 4 June 2025

Inside Ruby’s purse, police find a key card from a luxury hotel in the area. —Isadora Wandermurem, Time, 16 May 2025

Officers with Georgia’s Department of Natural Resources found Jones’ wallet with his driver’s license and credit cards, a hotel key card and a piece of cake in a bag on the boat, WSB-TV previously reported. —Abigail Adams, People.com, 4 Mar. 2025

Word History

First Known Use

1966, in the meaning defined above

Rhymes for key card

• asgard
• backyard
• barnyard
• blackguard
• bombard
• brickyard
• canard
• churchyard
• coastguard
• courtyard
• debarred
• diehard