key to
phrasal verb
keyed to; keying to; keys to
chiefly US
1
: to make (something) suitable for (a particular use or type of person)
I try to key my lectures to my audience.
—often used as (be) keyed toThe educational program is keyed to the needs of working women.
2
: to change (something) in a way that is closely related to (something else)
—usually used as (be) keyed to
The amount of money they receive is keyed to the rate of inflation.
Examples of key to in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Toward the end of the engagement, O’Neill asked Calipari what was the key to last year’s success late in the season.
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Michael Harley, Arkansas Online, 12 Sep. 2025
The train cars are an integral key to Deutsche Bahn's future in Bavaria.
—Eileen Falkenberg-Hull, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Sep. 2025
The findings suggest that understanding psychological factors will be key to designing future robots.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 12 Sep. 2025
Instead of function keys, a USE FRONT key acted like an Option or Command key to access special features.
—Cameron Kaiser, ArsTechnica, 12 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for key to
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Michael Harley, Arkansas Online, 12 Sep. 2025
The train cars are an integral key to Deutsche Bahn's future in Bavaria.
—Eileen Falkenberg-Hull, MSNBC Newsweek, 12 Sep. 2025
The findings suggest that understanding psychological factors will be key to designing future robots.
—Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 12 Sep. 2025
Instead of function keys, a USE FRONT key acted like an Option or Command key to access special features.
—Cameron Kaiser, ArsTechnica, 12 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for key to
Cite this Entry
“Key to.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/key%20to. Accessed 17 Sep. 2025.
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