keypad

noun

key·​pad ˈkē-ˌpad 

1

: a small set of keys that is part of a larger keyboard or another device (such as a telephone or calculator)

The keyboards of costly computers … usually have a separate numeric keypad in addition to the usual numerals in the top row of any keyboard.

—Consumer Reports

This lets you operate your centrally located audio/video gear from anywhere in the house, either by a handheld remote control or a keypad built into the wall.

—Video Review

2

: a small, usually numerical keyboard

Deactivate the alarm by punching a code into the keypad mounted inside the house.

Using a handheld keypad, the salesperson presses a three-digit code to find specific tracks. For example, "147" might be a segment with maintenance tips for the Cadillac diesel engine.

—Jane Wollman

Examples of keypad in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Head down, shoulders hunched, and fingers flying on a keypad with the intensity of an individual suffering from an addiction. — Michael Gerling, Fortune, 24 June 2026

There are tons of mice out there with an entire keypad’s worth of thumb buttons — the Razer Naga pioneered the genre. — Brad Bourque, The Verge, 23 June 2026

One of the door locks was specifically only able to be opened on the outside with a combination keypad. — Caroline Blair, PEOPLE, 9 June 2026

Take your book, enter a code on a keypad, and push the bookcase open. — Carrie Honaker, Bon Appetit Magazine, 5 June 2026

Word History

First Known Use

1966, in the meaning defined at sense 2

Rhymes for keypad

• comrade
• dryad
• dyad
• forbad
• grandad
• granddad
• nomad
• notepad
• postgrad
• sinbad
• tetrad
• triad

Kids Definition

keypad

noun

key·​pad ˈkē-ˌpad 

: a small keyboard (as on a pocket calculator)