as in cornerstone
an immaterial thing upon which something else rests
a sense of history is the keystone to the city's draw as a tourist destination
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of keystone
Bison are a keystone species to North American prairies.
—
Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Apr. 2026
Sea otters are a keystone species in kelp forest ecosystems, eating sea urchins that would otherwise consume the kelp, according to the aquarium.
—Cierra Morgan, Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2026
Setup is effortless thanks to Intelligent Screen Adaption, which features auto-focus, auto-keystone correction, and obstacle avoidance.
—Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 23 Apr. 2026
Kim learned that beavers are a keystone species — an organism that holds an ecosystem together.
—Elizabeth Hernandez, Denver Post, 16 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for keystone
Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 29 Apr. 2026
Sea otters are a keystone species in kelp forest ecosystems, eating sea urchins that would otherwise consume the kelp, according to the aquarium.
—Cierra Morgan, Los Angeles Times, 29 Apr. 2026
Setup is effortless thanks to Intelligent Screen Adaption, which features auto-focus, auto-keystone correction, and obstacle avoidance.
—Juhi Wadia, PC Magazine, 23 Apr. 2026
Kim learned that beavers are a keystone species — an organism that holds an ecosystem together.
—Elizabeth Hernandez, Denver Post, 16 Apr. 2026
See All Example Sentences for keystone
Recent Examples of Synonyms for keystone
Noun
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Honduras is among several countries in the Americas to announce the cancellation of their contracts with the Cuban medical missions – which is a foreign policy cornerstone and key source of foreign cash for the socialist island-nation.—
Stefano Pozzebon,
CNN Money,
3 June 2026
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The Valkyries had an opportunity to make Leite a franchise cornerstone after picking her from Dallas in the 2025 expansion draft, but Golden State elected to not make the French guard among the five who were guaranteed a spot on the Valkyries.—
Joseph Dycus,
Mercury News,
3 June 2026
Noun
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The 22-year-old right-hander gave up three hits, struck out seven and walked five in his 107-pitch effort, which included a 97-mph fastball to whiff Joey Loperfido with the bases loaded to end the third.—
Los Angeles Times,
Los Angeles Times,
10 June 2026
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Omnisend has historically offered salary increases on a quarterly basis, so this cadence isn’t new.—
Sage Lazzaro,
Fortune,
9 June 2026
Noun
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Domestic capabilities are the foundation American ingenuity was a genesis for AI, from the invention of the transistor to the development of the transformer, which enables large language models.—
Olivia White,
Time,
29 May 2026
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Freedom 250 has its own employees, but the foundation provides federal funds and the park service approves the events and reviews their budgets, according to the website.—
Jack Dolan,
Los Angeles Times,
29 May 2026
Noun
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The decision sent shock waves across college sports because bans for gambling are a bedrock rule of the NCAA and in many professional sports.—
Stephen Hawkins,
Chicago Tribune,
8 June 2026
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But in reality, the Falcon 9 rocket is the bedrock of SpaceX’s success today.—
Eric Berger,
ArsTechnica,
8 June 2026
Cite this Entry
“Keystone.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/keystone. Accessed 11 Jun. 2026.
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