skeleton key
noun
plural skeleton keys
: a key with a large part of the bit filed away to enable it to open low quality locks as a master key
called also passkey
Examples of skeleton key in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web
Marlowe’s supposed involvement in spying then becomes the skeleton key to his psyche.
—
Isaac Butler, The Atlantic, 3 Nov. 2025
Its teenage characters, scheming to realize their dead friend’s dream of moving to California, are a skeleton key that unlocks a multigenerational Indigenous community.
—Judy Berman, Time, 23 Sep. 2025
Other oddities and relics the designers say add to the vintage Halloween theme include skeleton keys, cracked teacups, magnifying glasses, and even hats that look like they've been left behind.
—Maria Sabella, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 Sep. 2025
Back then, many conservatives treated the Epstein files as a skeleton key promising cataclysmic revelations about elite depravity and corruption.
—Michelle Goldberg, Mercury News, 6 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for skeleton key
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Isaac Butler, The Atlantic, 3 Nov. 2025
Its teenage characters, scheming to realize their dead friend’s dream of moving to California, are a skeleton key that unlocks a multigenerational Indigenous community.
—Judy Berman, Time, 23 Sep. 2025
Other oddities and relics the designers say add to the vintage Halloween theme include skeleton keys, cracked teacups, magnifying glasses, and even hats that look like they've been left behind.
—Maria Sabella, Better Homes & Gardens, 8 Sep. 2025
Back then, many conservatives treated the Epstein files as a skeleton key promising cataclysmic revelations about elite depravity and corruption.
—Michelle Goldberg, Mercury News, 6 Sep. 2025
See All Example Sentences for skeleton key
Cite this Entry
“Skeleton key.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/skeleton%20key. Accessed 10 Nov. 2025.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Share