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

Subtitle and caption controls are now easier to access while watching content, and Apple says the update also improves keyboard accuracy for fast typists after users complained about frequent typing mistakes. —Anthony Thompson, USA Today, 12 May 2026

There’s a switch on the keyboard for selecting the connection method and, in Bluetooth mode, the keyboard can be paired with three separate devices. —Mark Sparrow, Forbes.com, 10 May 2026

Verb

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

In these streaming, serial times, a critic may have to watch as many as 10 hours of a show before putting fingers to keyboard, pen to paper, pointed stick to clay tablet. —Television Critic, Los Angeles Times, 23 Feb. 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