keyword

American  

[kee-wurd] / ˈkiˌwɜrd /

Or key word

noun

1. a word that serves as a key, as to the meaning of another word, a sentence, passage, or the like.

2. a word used to encipher or decipher a cryptogram, as a pattern for a transposition procedure or the basis for a complex substitution.

3. Also called catchword.  Library Science. a significant or memorable word or term in the title, abstract, or text of a document or other item being indexed, used as the index entry.

4. Digital Technology. a word used to classify or organize digital content, or to facilitate an online search for information.

   Search the database for the keyword “Ireland.”

---

keyword British  

/ ˈkiːˌwɜːd /

noun

1. a word used as a key to a code

2. any significant word or phrase, esp a word used to describe the contents of a document

---

Etymology

Origin of keyword

First recorded in 1855–60; key ¹ + word

Example Sentences

They said Sunday that they are alarmed that the government didn’t perform a basic keyword search of victim names to verify the success of its redaction process.

From The Wall Street Journal • Feb. 1, 2026

The show broadcast a message this week in the middle of an episode: "The keyword in Love Island is… Love. We love our fans. We love our Islanders. We don't love cyberbullying, harassment or hate."

From BBC • Jun. 28, 2025

A keyword in the above sentence is “woman.”

From Salon • Aug. 10, 2024

Web of Science data show publications mentioning MTurk as a keyword went from 34 in 2010 to a peak of 989 in 2021.

From Science Magazine • May 9, 2024

The “unbreakable” Pletts Cryptograph relied in part on keyword ciphers, a type of substitution cipher.

From "The Woman All Spies Fear" by Amy Butler Greenfield