1
: a piece of rope or line for fastening something in a ship
especially
: one of the pieces passing through deadeyes to extend shrouds or stays
2
a
: a cord or strap to hold something (such as a knife or a whistle) and usually worn around the neck
b
: a cord worn as a symbol of a military citation
3
: a strong line used to activate a system (as in firing a cannon)
Examples of lanyard in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Around his neck, below his silver hairline, is a lanyard from the Library of Congress that holds his keys.
—
John McMurtrie, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2023
Online, companies sell hundreds of colorful tracker holders for children including wristbands, keychains, lanyards and pins.
—Heather Kelly, Anchorage Daily News, 26 July 2023
On a ledge near her apartment window, Hogan has set up a makeshift memorial for Danny, with his work lanyard and a little plumber doll.
—Nushrat Rahman, Detroit Free Press, 10 Sep. 2023
The detention pin with wire lanyard makes the disassembly easy.
—L. Daniela Alvarez, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 Sep. 2023
The presidential duo, alongside Congressman Morgan McGarvey, greeted the crowd of Ford workers and distributed whistles and lanyards to members, a tactic borrowed from the UPS Teamsters.
—Olivia Evans, The Courier-Journal, 24 Aug. 2023
The image was posted on Telegram on Thursday, appearing to show Prigozhin shaking hands with a man wearing a lanyard matching the branding of the summit.
—Patrick Smith, NBC News, 28 July 2023
Stringing Beads Your 1-year-old can string beads on a thick lanyard or pipe cleaners, as long as the beads aren’t small enough to present a choking hazard.
—Nicole Harris, Parents, 19 Aug. 2023
The pint-sized detector is on a lanyard, providing maximum portability.
—Quincy Bulin, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 Aug. 2023
See More
John McMurtrie, Los Angeles Times, 6 Sep. 2023
Online, companies sell hundreds of colorful tracker holders for children including wristbands, keychains, lanyards and pins.
—Heather Kelly, Anchorage Daily News, 26 July 2023
On a ledge near her apartment window, Hogan has set up a makeshift memorial for Danny, with his work lanyard and a little plumber doll.
—Nushrat Rahman, Detroit Free Press, 10 Sep. 2023
The detention pin with wire lanyard makes the disassembly easy.
—L. Daniela Alvarez, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 Sep. 2023
The presidential duo, alongside Congressman Morgan McGarvey, greeted the crowd of Ford workers and distributed whistles and lanyards to members, a tactic borrowed from the UPS Teamsters.
—Olivia Evans, The Courier-Journal, 24 Aug. 2023
The image was posted on Telegram on Thursday, appearing to show Prigozhin shaking hands with a man wearing a lanyard matching the branding of the summit.
—Patrick Smith, NBC News, 28 July 2023
Stringing Beads Your 1-year-old can string beads on a thick lanyard or pipe cleaners, as long as the beads aren’t small enough to present a choking hazard.
—Nicole Harris, Parents, 19 Aug. 2023
The pint-sized detector is on a lanyard, providing maximum portability.
—Quincy Bulin, Better Homes & Gardens, 11 Aug. 2023
See More
These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'lanyard.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.
Word History
Etymology
Middle English lanyer thong, lanyard, from Anglo-French lanier
First Known Use
1626, in the meaning defined at sense 1
Dictionary Entries Near lanyard
Cite this Entry
“Lanyard.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/lanyard. Accessed 3 Oct. 2023.
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Kids Definition
lanyard
noun
lan·yard
ˈlan-yərd 
1
: a rope or line for fastening something in ships
2
: a cord worn around the neck or shoulder to hold a knife or whistle
3
: a strong cord used in firing a cannon
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