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View synonyms for keyhole

keyhole

[ kee-hohl ]

noun

  1. a hole for inserting a key in a lock, especially one in the shape of a circle with a rectangle having a width smaller than the diameter of the circle projecting from the bottom.
  2. Also called key. Basketball. the area at each end of the court that is bounded by two lines extending from the end line parallel to and equidistant from the sidelines and terminating in a circle around the foul line.


adjective

  1. extremely private or intimate, especially with reference to information gained as if by peeping through a keyhole.
  2. snooping and intrusive:

    a keyhole investigator.

keyhole

/ ˈkiːˌhəʊl /

noun

  1. an aperture in a door or a lock case through which a key may be passed to engage the lock mechanism
  2. any small aperture resembling a keyhole in shape or function
  3. a transient column of vapour or plasma formed during the welding or cutting of materials, using high energy beams, such as lasers


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Word History and Origins

Origin of keyhole1

First recorded in 1585–95; key 1 + hole

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Example Sentences

So beware of keyhole cutouts or string bottoms—those are a preschool fashion no-no.

He unscrewed the lock, turned it back to front, pasted over the outside keyhole and locked himself in.

This week, Stephen King published his 51st novel, The Wind Through the Keyhole, the latest in his Dark Tower series.

A peek through the keyhole on its website reveals a moving line of classic and contemporary nude images.

Mumbling helps audiences "feel like they're peeking in the keyhole," Batson says.

He looked at it through a keyhole, as it were—the extent was large yet detailed, the picture distant yet very clearly focussed.

Kneeling down, he peered into the keyhole, holding the electric torch close beside his face and chewing industriously.

And all the while the real "me" is snugly lying here in the green box, peeping through the keyhole, on the watch for the postman.

Jehosophat wished he were as small as Hop-o'-my-Thumb, so that he could creep through the keyhole and never be seen at all.

He stooped down and peeped through the keyhole, and immediately grew pale with anger.

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key gripkeyhole saw