To save this word, you'll need to log in.
Definition of skeleton key
: a key with a large part of the bit filed away to enable it to open low quality locks as a master key
Examples of skeleton key in a Sentence
Recent Examples on the Web In 2015, Symantec found that Winnti also appeared to be using skeleton key injection attacks like the kind CyCraft found used against the Taiwanese semiconductor companies.
—
Andy Greenberg, Wired, "Chinese Hackers Have Pillaged Taiwan's Semiconductor Industry," 6 Aug. 2020 Moss is The Invisible Man’s skeleton key, the means to opening its every door.
—
Stephanie Zacharek, Time, "The Invisible Man Obscures Its Enemy, But Elisabeth Moss Is Unmissable," 28 Feb. 2020 Pable told his supervisor, Michael Haynes, who decided to test the skeleton key by issuing an alert on the Regional Transit Authority for Dayton, Ohio, which also had BusTime, the lawsuit alleges.
—
Mary Wisniewski, chicagotribune.com, "Ex-CTA employee reported a security glitch, then he was fired, lawsuit alleges," 4 Dec. 2019 But Melania’s latest foray into haunted festive design comes closer to providing a skeleton key for the warped mimetic rules of Trumpism than Trump himself ever has.
—
David Roth, The New Republic, "A Unified Theory of the Trumps’ Creepy Aesthetic," 19 Dec. 2019 Single sign-on acts as a sort of skeleton key to all of your accounts across the internet.
—
Lily Hay Newman, WIRED, "'Sign In With Apple' Protects You in Ways Google and Facebook Don't," 4 June 2019 That can turn a single $100 record into a valuable skeleton key for a buyer.
—
Robert Mcmillan, WSJ, "Thieves Can Now Nab Your Data in a Few Minutes for a Few Bucks," 9 Dec. 2018 Over the years, Crosby has built a complete game, and his collection of skills makes him a skeleton key in skates.
—
Adam Kilgore, chicagotribune.com, "The subtle secret to Sidney Crosby's greatness," 30 Apr. 2018 As a reference point, the Bible is a skeleton key that unlocks hundreds of years of culture, from Shakespeare to Kehinde Wiley.
—
Anchorage Daily News, "Even atheists should read the Bible," 1 Apr. 2018
See MoreThese example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'skeleton key.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
Keep scrolling for more
Keep scrolling for more
Comments on skeleton key
What made you want to look up skeleton key? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Test Your Vocabulary
Homophone Quiz
- In order to judge how people felt, the senator's office hired a firm to take a
______.
Can you spell these 10 commonly misspelled words?
TAKE THE QUIZ
Test Your Knowledge - and learn some interesting things along the way.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridgedWords at Play
Ask the Editors
Share skeleton key
Time Traveler for skeleton key
The first known use of skeleton key was in 1810
See more words from the same year