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

The orchestra becomes a chirping color wheel, helped by percussion of all sorts, including seashells, water containers, MIDI keyboard, music boxes and much else. —Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times, 3 June 2026

As with Junun, Hebrew, Urdu, and Hindi coalesce, as does Greenwood’s keyboard and bass guitar with the Rajasthan Express’ trumpets, harmonium, and dholaks. —Arman Khan, Pitchfork, 1 June 2026

Verb

The effort is part of a broader push to train AI systems on how employees actually work, capturing everything from navigation patterns to keyboard shortcuts. —Barbara Booth, CNBC, 5 May 2026

Workplaces have long surveilled their employees, from tracking badge swipes to keyboard strokes. —Emma Burleigh, Fortune, 24 Mar. 2026

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

Rhymes for keyboard

• abhorred
• aboard
• accord
• adored
• afford
• award
• baseboard
• billboard
• blackboard
• boxboard
• breadboard
• broadsword

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