key (up)

verb

Definition of key (up)next
as in to set off

Related Words

Relevance

Dissimilar Words

Example Sentences

Recent Examples of Synonyms for key (up)
  1. set off
  2. motivate
  3. induce
  4. pump up
  5. motive
  6. inspire
  7. energize
  8. activate
Verb
  • This is adorned with two oval inlaid embroidery inserts accented with rhinestones and set off by a yellow lining, depicting the encounter between a woman seated in profile and a small Cupid.
    — Luisa Zargani, Footwear News, 16 Oct. 2026
  • Dropping two cylinders and losing almost three liters of displacement means there’s no option for shaking a garage on its foundations or setting off car alarms while waiting for a red light.
    — New Atlas, New Atlas, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of set off
Verb
  • Tyler Robinson, who is facing trial for the shooting of Charlie Kirk, was motivated by left-leaning politics, according to Utah County prosecutor Jeffrey Gray.
    — Jack Harvel, Kansas City Star, 16 Oct. 2026
  • More than 4,300 people are now on Dion’s Chicago Dream waitlist – a fact that motivates Dawson every day.
    — Kathleen Toner, CNN Money, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of motivate
Verb
  • Major cringe, on the other hand, navigates the aesthetic affect critically and formally to induce it—viscerally exploiting its possibilities.
    — Eugenie Brinkema, ARTnews.com, 17 Oct. 2026
  • Holloway was induced a week and a half before her due date because of elevated blood pressure, and Sales was induced a week early because of excess protein in her urine.
    — Matthew Adams, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 16 Oct. 2026
Definition of induce
Verb
  • Swift, who was wearing a Chiefs tank top at Sunday night’s game, didn’t need to be well-versed in football to get pumped up when Kelce scored a touchdown.
    — Pete Grathoff, Kansas City Star, 21 Sep. 2026
  • For its part, Florida hoped for a Sinclair victory to pump up its own moribund economy.
    — Thomas Doherty, HollywoodReporter, 19 Sep. 2026
Definition of pump up
Verb
  • Authorities had reported no arrests or motive as of Sunday evening, and investigators were still working to determine what happened.
    — Mike Stewart, Los Angeles Times, 5 Oct. 2026
  • Neither man has offered an explanation or motive behind the violent stop.
    — Perry Vandell, AZCentral.com, 26 Aug. 2026
Definition of motive
Verb
  • All inspired by Rise & Fall’s signature knitwear and outerwear, the designs recast the language of clothing in sculptural forms, bringing together the softness of textiles and the presence of jewelry.
    — Tianwei Zhang, Footwear News, 15 Oct. 2026
  • We were inspired from how many great discoveries that went on to revolutionize science and medicine came about from looking around in nature and finding these odd things—PCR [polymerase chain reaction] tests, for example, or CRISPR.
    — Adam Kovac, Scientific American, 14 Oct. 2026
Definition of inspire
Verb
  • In the United States, growth has been fueled primarily by the hundreds of billions of dollars of Big Tech investment in AI projects and by consumer spending energized by gains in a stock market dominated by AI.
    — RUCHIR SHARMA, Foreign Affairs, 13 Oct. 2026
  • The Fox reboot celebrates the franchise’s enduring legacy, while re-energizing it for today’s global audience.
    — Armando Tinoco, Deadline, 13 Oct. 2026
Definition of energize
Verb
  • Users can speak to HomeView to control smart home devices, such as, for example, telling Siri to close the smart blinds or activate smart locks.
    — Scharon Harding, ArsTechnica, 13 Oct. 2026
  • Get a year of complimentary Apple TV when activated by December 31, 2026 - a value of $180.
    — Jason Stauffer, CNBC, 12 Oct. 2026
Definition of activate
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.

Browse Nearby Words

keys (up)
key (up)
khan
See all Nearby Words

Cite this Entry

“Key (up).” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/key%20%28up%29. Accessed 18 Oct. 2026.

Copy Citation
Love words? Need even more definitions?

Subscribe to America's largest dictionary and get thousands more definitions and advanced search—ad free!

Last Updated: - Updated example sentences

Popular in Grammar & Usage

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

Merriam-Webster’s Great Big List of Words You Love to Hate

The Exceptions of '-s' and '-es' Plurals

Is it 'nerve-racking' or 'nerve-wracking'?

What's the difference between 'fascism' and 'socialism'?
See More

Popular in Wordplay

See More

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'

9 Words That Sound Like Insults But Aren't

7 Words for Bad Endings and Rough Situations

The Words of the Week - Oct. 16
See More

Popular

See More

'Affect' vs. 'Effect'

16 Food Words Recently Added to the Dictionary

The Real Origin of 'Supercalifragilistic'
See More

Games & Quizzes

See All
Play Quordle: Guess all four words in a limited number of tries. Each of your guesses must be a real 5-letter word.
Quordle Can you solve 4 words at once?
Play Blossom: Solve today's spelling word game by finding as many words as you can using just 7 letters. Longer words score more points.
Blossom Pick the best words!
Play Missing Letter: a crossword with a twist. Each of the 25 puzzle words start with a different letter of the alphabet. Which letter is missing?
The Missing Letter A daily crossword with a twist
artwork of illustrated limes with the text limes and smile with an arrow connecting the two words
Quiz: Spot the Anagram! Scramble these words to find new words with the e...
See All