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View synonyms for latchkey

latchkey

[ lach-kee ]

noun

, plural latch·keys.
  1. a key for releasing a latch or springlock, especially on an outer door.


latchkey

/ ˈlætʃˌkiː /

noun

  1. a key for an outside door or gate, esp one that lifts a latch
    1. a supposed freedom from restrictions
    2. ( as modifier )

      a latchkey existence

“Collins English Dictionary — Complete & Unabridged” 2012 Digital Edition © William Collins Sons & Co. Ltd. 1979, 1986 © HarperCollins Publishers 1998, 2000, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2009, 2012
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Word History and Origins

Origin of latchkey1

First recorded in 1815–25; latch + key 1
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Example Sentences

Don’t tell helicopter parents, but the gleefully transgressive flicks that entertained a generation of latchkey wildlings are coming back in style.

She says growing numbers of one-parent households, unmarried parents and “latchkey kids” who walk into empty homes after school each day have eroded the foundations that taught past generations to endure routine stress.

“I think for latchkey kids of the ‘80s and ‘90s, celebrities filled in for the family members we wish we had,” she said.

From Salon

I think for latchkey kids of the ‘80s and ‘90s, celebrities filled in for the family members we wish we had.

Most of Perry's upbringing was in Ottawa, Canada, but he said he was a "latchkey kid" because his mother's job "just meant I spent a great deal of time alone".

From BBC

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