key to

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 to

The 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

Expert stylist and salon owner Nunzio Saviano says the key to big ‘90s hair, sans a heated round brush, is working on partially damp hair. — Odeya Pinkus, InStyle, 8 July 2026

Getting all three right is key to enabling Qualcomm to scale its internal AI capabilities, which ties back to the company’s goals to diversify its business. — John Kell, Fortune, 8 July 2026

LaNasa told Horst the key to tapping into Dana’s character is finding humility. — Tanya Fedak, Variety, 8 July 2026

The defense hopes its connection will be the key to helping the team win more than nine games for the first time since the historic 2022 season that ended in the national championship game. — Lawrence Dow, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 8 July 2026

Rhymes for key to

• accrue
• ado
• ainu
• aircrew
• airscrew
• anew
• askew
• baboo
• babu
• bamboo
• beaucoup
• bijou