as in cornerstone
an immaterial thing upon which something else rests
a sense of history is the keystone to the city's draw as a tourist destination
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Recent Examples of keystone
The New Yorker’s founding editor, Harold Ross, regarded The Talk of the Town as the keystone of each issue, and sent as much of it as possible through White’s typewriter.
—
Nathan Heller, New Yorker, 24 Aug. 2025
These keystone species are expected to play a crucial role in shaping the ecosystem.
—Real-Time News Team, Miami Herald, 22 Aug. 2025
At the time it was considered the keystone in Oceanside’s downtown renaissance, part of an effort to bring more people and commercial activity to the area.
—Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Aug. 2025
The viewing rectangle can be scaled down and moved around to fit the available space, without needing to reposition the unit, and focus/keystone are automatically tweaked for easy placement.
—New Atlas, 4 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for keystone
Nathan Heller, New Yorker, 24 Aug. 2025
These keystone species are expected to play a crucial role in shaping the ecosystem.
—Real-Time News Team, Miami Herald, 22 Aug. 2025
At the time it was considered the keystone in Oceanside’s downtown renaissance, part of an effort to bring more people and commercial activity to the area.
—Phil Diehl, San Diego Union-Tribune, 7 Aug. 2025
The viewing rectangle can be scaled down and moved around to fit the available space, without needing to reposition the unit, and focus/keystone are automatically tweaked for easy placement.
—New Atlas, 4 Aug. 2025
See All Example Sentences for keystone
Recent Examples of Synonyms for keystone
Noun
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But with Camara and Avdija becoming franchise cornerstones, the question is where does Grant fit?—
Jason Quick,
New York Times,
30 Sep. 2025
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Keegan Murray and Keon Ellis are both 25-year-old, two-way players who could be long-term cornerstones of the Sacramento Kings.—
Chris Biderman,
Sacbee.com,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The 2023 writers’ strike opened up airtime on ABC on a weekly basis and contributed to a 29% jump in ratings.—
Jacob Feldman,
Sportico.com,
29 Sep. 2025
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Anyone who possessed this overwhelming desire to face near certain death on a regular basis is going to be unusual.—
Belinda Luscombe,
Time,
29 Sep. 2025
Noun
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The $470 million figure emerged during city council deliberations and was later confirmed by the foundation in its 2020 annual report.—
Christine Valora,
The Washington Examiner,
28 Sep. 2025
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The result is companies built on sturdier foundations, less vulnerable to the ups and downs of funding markets.—
Aman Ghei,
Fortune,
27 Sep. 2025
Noun
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Middle Tennessee's erosion-prone limestone and other hard bedrock have historically precluded Nashville leadership from exploring underground transportation.—
Hadley Hitson,
Nashville Tennessean,
29 Sep. 2025
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The very bedrock of our values as a country and the democratic pillars of our government that once seemed immovable are being completely destroyed right now.—
Maya Georgi,
Rolling Stone,
26 Sep. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Keystone.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/keystone. Accessed 2 Oct. 2025.
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